Oema foe Sranan (Women Of Suriname)
Political documentary from 1978 – the first documentary about Suriname in Sranantongo – about the struggle of four Surinamese women against misjudgement, exploitation and poverty.
Oema Foe Sranan follows four women, Jetty, Sonja, Somai and Sylvie, who fight against the poverty they experience daily. Through their personal stories, they provide insight into the history of (neo)colonialism and discrimination in Suriname and the Netherlands. The causes of poverty are portrayed using quotes from Wij Slaven Van Suriname by Surinamese writer and activist Anton de Kom.
Oema Foe Sranan Is an indictment of the Netherlands’ role as coloniser and of foreign companies that enrich themselves in Suriname but leave the country destitute. The film shows a struggling rather than a suffering people. This documentary was unavailable for many years, but has recently been restored and can therefore be rediscovered – just like the work of Anton de Kom.