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The construction of the Brokopondo dam and hydro-electric plant almost forty years ago gave an important boost to the economy of Surinam, a former Dutch colony. It also caused the lands and villages of 5,000 Saramaccan Maroons to be flooded. Three decades later, director John Albert Jansen returns to the site of devastation together with Surinamese writer Dorus Vrede, who was born in one of the drowned villages. Archival footage illustrates the stories of the Saramaccan people from the area.
Brokopondo: stories of a drowned land presents for the first time the events leading up to the building of the Brokopondo dam, and recounts the experiences of those who were relocated. The Saramaccan Maroons had lived a secluded life in the area since the eighteenth century. While they were informed about the consequences of the dam's construction, they had never before encountered the technology capable of swallowing their homes in such a manner. In 1963, when the water level literally came up to their necks, the Maroons were obliged to leave their traditional lands and hunting areas. The majority ended up in transmigration villages.
The building of the Brokopondo dam and the forced departure of the Saramaccan people is an example of a clash between economic and cultural systems. The advantages for the Surinam economy are evident; the detrimental effects on culture and livelihood of the Maroons are equally tangible. Their rich hunting ground are now at the bottom of Afobaka Lake, also called Lake Van Blommenstein. In this documentary, Jansen traces the origins of the Brokopondo project, the benefits to the economy of Surinam, and the consequences of transmigration for the Maroon people, told through their own stories and memories.
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Brokopondo: stories of a drowned land
