Roots Migration in Suriname and the Caribbean - An Exploration of Heritage and Identity

Roots, Return and Belonging: Heritage, Identity and Transgenerational Migration in Suriname and the Caribbean

While taking Suriname and the Caribbean as a case study, this event explores the wider Dutch and British colonial world and will examine how descendants of migration reconnect with ancestral homelands, negotiate multiple identities, and reshape notions of home, citizenship and cultural inheritance.

This evening brings together guest panellists Amanda van Heesteren, Sacha Oudolf and Dr Audrey Alllwood, who will share perspectives on heritage, identity, memory and the lasting impact of migration on individuals, families and communities. The discussion will be led by interviewer Rose Roobeek, offering an engaging dialogue on what it means to belong across places, cultures and generations.

This programme will also include selected (subtitles) excerpts from the four-part documentary series De Nieuwe Generaties van Suriname (The New Generations of Suriname), directed by filmmaker Amanda van Hesteren. The series follows young Dutch-Surinamese adults as they reconnect with their ancestral roots and navigate the opportunities, challenges and emotional realities of transgenerational return migration to Suriname.

Following the screening, Amanda van Hesteren will join a panel discussion exploring the wider significance of roots migration and return across former Dutch and British colonial societies.