Day of the Maroons

Maroon Day commemorates 10 October 1760, when the colonial government signed a peace treaty with the Ndyuka, recognising the freedom of people who had escaped slavery and built independent societies deep in the rainforest, more than a century before emancipation.

The day is celebrated with apinti drums, awasa dance, traditional pangi textiles and gatherings in Paramaribo and in Maroon villages along the upper rivers. Cultural organisations host performances, lectures and markets.

Photo: Ymnes, CC BY-SA 4.0