Subject: [History] The National Anthem

Article: National Anthem

( in dutch )
God zij met ons Suriname
Hij verhef ons heerlijk land
Hoe wij hier ook samen kwamen
Aan zijn grond zijn wij verpand
Werkend houden w'in gedachten
Recht en waarheid maken vrij
Al wat goed is te betrachten
Dat geeft aan ons land waardij.

(in surinamese)
Opo kondreman oen opo!
Sranan gron e kari oen
Wans operata komopo
Wi moe seti kondre boen
Stre de f'stre wi no sa frede
Gado de wi fesi man
Eri libi te na dede
Wi sa feti gi Sranan.

In 1893, the Lutheran Reverend C.A. Hoekstra wrote a text for a Suriname national anthem. He used for the melody a composition of the Dutch Frysian teacher J.C. de Puy (1835-1924). The composer had not intended that his music was going to be used as a national anthem.

In 1959, the government of Suriname selected the melody from J.C. de Puy and the second stanza written by Reverend Hoekstra as the official anthem. The council of ministers considered it desirable to add a stanza in Sranan. Thus Minister Essed approached the poet Trefossa to write that stanza to include the theme of 'unity with country'.

On Dec 7, 1959 the stanza was approved by the government. It was first played on 15 December 1959 and has remained the same after independence in 1975.

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Met dank aan Albert Buys