King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will arrive in the South American country of Suriname on Monday for a three-day State Visit, and here’s everything you need to know.
This state visit is billed as one that will highlight the cooperation between Suriname and the Netherlands and the close ties that still exist between both countries, and one that will “focus on our collaboration, exchanges, and future partnerships in numerous areas,” according to the Dutch Royal Court.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will arrive at the Presidential Palace in the capital city of Paramaribo, where they will be officially welcomed by President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons.
Following meetings with President Geerlings-Simons and government representatives, the royal couple will lay a wreath at the statue of ‘Mother Suriname’, Mama Sranan, the representation of the country. The statue cradles five children in her arms, representing the five population groups of Suriname: Indigenous Peoples, Creoles, Hindustani and Javanese, Chinese and Europeans. It was unveiled in 1965 by King Willem-Alexander’s grandmother, Queen Juliana.
After this, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will travel to the National Assembly, where the Dutch King will give a speech to its 51-member Parliament. In the afternoon, the royal couple will travel to the Court of Justice to speak with the President of the Court and learn about the judicial independence of Suriname.
Later in the afternoon, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will meet with descendants of enslaved peoples and with the Indigenous communities of Suriname to learn about past experiences and what they’re working on for the future.
The final event of the day will be a State Banquet hosted by President Geerlings-Simons.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will begin their second day in Suriname at Villa Zapakara, an educational arts foundation that encourages young people by teaching them how culture and nature can be used to inspire themselves.
Afterwards, the royal couple will visit the Natural Technology Institute and tour the facilities and meet with students in the electrical engineering and offshore energy sector programs. They will also attend a hackathon hosted by Deltares, which will teach them more about the water, climate and urban life in Suriname.
Finally, the royal couple will meet with Surinamese students that participated in the Food Systems and Innovation Challenge—which was organised, in part, by the Netherlands Food Partnership—to hear the ideas they had for sustainability in the food sphere.
Later in the day, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will visit the Latour Neighbourhood Work Foundation to meet the children and young people who benefit from this multipurpose community centre.
The royal couple will also visit the Fernandes Bottling Company to hear about production and sustainability before joining the closing ceremony of a CEO Roundtable that has been focusing on economics, sustainability and green practices between Surinamese and Dutch companies.
In the evening, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will host a cultural reception for their hosts at the Theatre Thalia. Joining Surinamese artists is Sabrina Starke, a Dutch artist of Surinamese descent, for a tableaux performance highlighting the shared culture of both countries.
On their final day in Suriname, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will sail down the Suriname River and the Commewijne River as they learn more about the importance of water and forests, particularly through the rivers and the mangroves, to the ecological, economic and spiritual wellbeing of the country.
After docking at the Johanna Margaretha village on the bank of the Commewijne River, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will meet with villagers to learn more about their way of life and how they keep their history alive at the Frederiksdorp Education Centre.
The royal couple will then travel to the Frederiksdorp Education Centre to view materials related to the area’s past, including a diorama entitled ‘Life on the Plantation’, and to meet with historians, archaeologists and archivists to talk about their work and how the shared histories of Suriname and the Netherlands have been entwined throughout the years.
To close out their visit to Suriname, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will attend a reception for the Dutch community living within the country to hear more about their experiences living in Suriname.
Suriname declared itself independent of Dutch rule in 1975, though the country still maintains ties with the Netherlands. Dutch is still the prevailing and official language in the country, though there are eight recognised indigenous languages spoken.
This is King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima’s first State Visit to Suriname. On 25 November, the Dutch King paid a visit to the Suriname Museum in Amsterdam to celebrate 50 years of Surinamese independence and to officially open the new historical and cultural space.
