Alfonsdorp Explained

Official Name:Alfonsdorp
Other Name:Tibiti
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:Suriname
Pushpin Label Position:left
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Suriname
Pushpin Mapsize:250
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Suriname
Subdivision Type1:District
Subdivision Name1:Marowijne District
Subdivision Type2:Resort
Subdivision Name2:Albina
Leader Title:Captain
Leader Name:Margriet Biswane
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:315
Population Density Km2:auto
Coordinates:5.5531°N -54.1622°W

Alfonsdorp (Lokono: Tibiti[2]) is a village of indigenous Lokono people[1] in the Albina resort of the Marowijne District of Suriname. The village is located on the East-West Link.[3] The Wanekreek Nature Reserve is located near the village.

Overview

Alfonsdorp has been named after their former village chief Alfons.[4] During the Surinamese Interior War, the village was caught between the Suriname National Army and the Jungle Commando. Most of the village fled to Balaté near Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, French Guiana.[5] On 29 november 1986, when Moiwana was attacked by the Army, civilians were murdered in Alfonsdorp as well,[6] and the village was destroyed.[5] After a meeting with Thomas Sabajo of the Tucayana Amazonas and Ronnie Brunswijk of the Jungle Commando their safety was assured, and people started to return to their former home.[5]

The village has a school. There used to be a clinic, but as of 2014, it was no longer in operation. In 2018, a catholic church was constructed.[7] An ecotourism resort is located in the village.[4] In 2014, Margriet Biswane was elected village chief.[8] In August 2021, Alfonsdorp was connected to the electricity grid and received 24 hours of electricity.[9]

Wanekreek Nature Reserve

Wanekreek is a protected area of Suriname. It measures and contains swamps, savannas, and marsh forests. It has been protected since 1986. The area is rich in wildlife, and is the breeding grounds for orange-winged amazons.

The Wane Creek which lends its name to the nature reserve, connects the Marowijne with the Cottica River and was part of the inland waterway between the Marowijne and Paramaribo.[10] A large bauxite concession is located near the nature reserve.

The nature reserve is in an ongoing dispute with the indigenous villages of Marijkedorp and Alfonsdorp who consider it part of their hunting and fishing grounds.[11] The area however has been uninhibited since the 1950s.[12]

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dorpen en Dorpsbesturen . Vereniging van Inheemse Dorpshoofden. 22 February 2021. nl.
  2. Web site: Gebied. Alfonsdorp.nl. 22 February 2021. nl.
  3. News: Persoonlijke inzet van onze Vice-President Ronnie Brunswijk . Suriname.nu. 21 February 2021. nl.
  4. Web site: Interview: Nico Hermans. Groen Rood Wit. 22 February 2021. nl.
  5. News: In memoriam Theodorus Emanuel Blanca . Star Nieuws. 17 January 2022. nl.
  6. News: VN-rapporteur bezorgd over mensenrechten in Suriname. Nederlands dagblad. 28 January 1988. nl. 17 January 2022.
  7. Web site: Bouwproject kerk Alfonsdorp afgerond. Omhoog. 22 February 2021. nl.
  8. News: Alfonsdorp krijgt nieuwe kapitein. Dagblad Suriname. 22 February 2021. nl.
  9. News: Alfonsdorp beschikt nu over 1×24 uur stroom . 22 August 2021. nl. 17 January 2022.
  10. Web site: Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië. Digital Library for Dutch Literature. 1916. 413. 22 February 2021. nl.
  11. Web site: Securing Indigenous Peoples' Rights in Conservation in Suriname. Vereniging van Inheemse Dorpshoofden. October 2009. 22 February 2021. Forest Peoples. 53.
  12. Web site: Nature Reserves within the Indigenous Territory of the Kaliña and Lokono Peoples of Lower Marowijne. Vereniging van Inheemse Dorpshoofden. January 2008. Forest Peoples. 22 February 2021. 4.