ROOTSJOURNEY: Dhiradj Ramsamoedj, the Artist and his Vision

I Love SU, but can’t help trashing it

Location: Kwatta, Paramaribo

Theme: Activist artist

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They dance on the waves of the Suriname river, washing ashore on the river banks. Along the roadside one cannot fail to spot them, their transparency somehow foregoes them to blend in to hide them as they lay as awkward attributes under leaves, in branches and spread over the grass.

Batra Yusu (photo: Dhiradj Ramsamoedj)

PET bottles, hundreds if not thousands of them. They are thrown out, mindlessly, from car windows or flung to the side of the road, often accompanied by remainders of fast food meals bought on the side of the road.

Of the many things in Suriname, these bottles puzzle me the most. Each bottle is a deliberate act of disrespect towards nature in general, but especially tarnishes the image of Suriname as something to be treasured.

Meeting Dhiradj Ramsamoedj

Dhiradj Ramsamoedj in his studio (photo: Mario C. Castillion)

As I drive through the busy traffic, I remenisce the old days when this area called Ramghoelanweg was still considered country side. I am on my way to Dhiradj Ramsamoedj, an emerging young artist in Suriname’s booming art scene.

Dhiradj Drawings (photo: Mario C. Castillion)

Dhiradj was born and raised in Paramaribo, in a family with a long tradition of tailors. We sit on the porch of his Nani’s (grandmother’s) house, an old traditional wooden structure, which drawa me further into the old days of Paramaribo, before traffic jams.

The porch of his nani's house (photo: Christopher Cozier)

An artist impression of the war on PET bottles

Inspired by the floating bottles in the Suriname river he created the artwork Batra Yusu, a raft of PET bottles floating on the river. It is an artwork with a twist, as Batra Yusu is also a derogatory term for an alcoholic, someone addicted to “the bottle”.

Batra Yusu (photo Dhiradj Ramsamoedj)

Dhiradj challenges the Surinamese consciousness, questioning the widespread Patriotism.

“If you love Suriname so much, then why trash it?

We are littered with symbols of patriotism,

but there is still little awareness or education on environmental sustainability.

“We have to nibble on the consciousness of the Surinamese. I am trying to do just that through my art. My art is not always explicit, it encourages people to question their own behavior”.

Each of these bottles tell a story of an individual who failed to understand that this country only preserved, not by merely praising grace, but also by respecting it.