Songs in a Strange Land
Book Review
Artist: Michelle Piergoelam
Photobook: Songs in a Strange Land
Publisher: Lecturis
Specs: Softcover, 210 x 288 mm
Price: €42,5
The ongoing period from 1 July 2023 – 1 July 2024, is an important one for Dutch history since it marks 160 years since slavery was officially abolished in Suriname and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and 150 years since forced labour ended in Suriname. For over three centuries, individuals from various parts of Africa were forcibly taken from their homes and transported across the Atlantic Ocean under brutal conditions by Dutch slave traders. They were sold into slavery in Dutch colonies such as Suriname and various Caribbean islands. In Asia, people were enslaved and traded to regions under the control of the United East India Company (VOC).
Generations of individuals were born into slavery and forced to labor on Dutch-owned plantations for their entire lives. Despite the abolition of slavery by law on July 1, 1863, in Suriname and the Caribbean islands, many enslaved individuals had to continue working on plantations under state supervision for an additional ten years to compensate plantation owners for their “losses.” For some, slavery persisted until July 1, 1873. Furthermore, from 1858 onwards, contract labor subjected individuals from Asia to harsh working conditions in Suriname under Dutch colonial rule.
“The history of Suriname is often remembered only through history books that were written by Europeans and hence from their perspective, focusing on numerical facts where people are portrayed as a mere mass. Instead, as an insider, Piergoelam aims to provide a personal, small-scale point of view on the topic.“
During the Memorial Year, the Netherlands is taking time to reflect on the pain it caused and recognizes its lingering negative effects on contemporary society. On this occasion, Michelle Piergoelam (b. 1997, the Netherlands) contemplates this painful period and her Surinamese roots within such context. Together with Lecturis, she published the book Songs in a Strange Land, focusing on the nighttime hours on the water of the enslaved in Suriname. Already a second chapter in her multi-part photo series “The Untangled Tales,” she reveals underexposed Afro-Surinamese stories during the times of slavery where immaterial cultural heritage comes to the surface.
The element of water is the central and connecting factor of the publication — 300,000 enslaved being brought to the country through the Atlantic Ocean, the cultivation of sugar, coffee, cotton, and cacao on swampy lands, the rainy climate of the country, and all transportation done by means of water. In Suriname, rowing boats were used for transporting people and ferries and moved by push sticks. As noted in the introductory text by Alex van Stipriaan (a professor of Caribbean history and advisor of intercultural and heritage projects), the enslaved people had the opportunity to sing together when they were doing their daily activities which all contained a certain rhythm. The songs were a strategy how to make the conditions more bearable, it was an escape.
“Songs in a Strange Land vividly portrays tales of hope and resilience, offering a window into these traditions amidst the harsh realities of slavery, where coded language hid within work songs.”
The humble volumed publication with an experimental design takes you on a ride through various phases of the night — allowing you to envision yourself alongside the enslaved during their arduous hours on the water, rowing their boats. During these times, they crafted new songs laden with critical commentary on their masters. These songs, employing a ‘call-and-response technique’ rooted in African tradition, served as a means of cultural expression and empowerment. They provided a safe haven for the enslaved to convey their thoughts without getting their oppressors suspicious.
Blue hues can be considered as the weaving thread in the publication, accompanied by the darkness of the deep blacks, one gets an impression of something being hidden and lingering behind the pages. A combination of landscape and black bodies, formulate a new narrative — that of reclaiming one’s land.
In a conversation with Michelle, she told me that the history of Suriname is often remembered only through history books that were written by Europeans and hence from their perspective, focusing on numerical facts where people are portrayed as a mere mass. Instead, as an insider, she aims to provide a personal, small-scale point of view on the topic.
“Songs in a Strange Land” vividly portrays tales of hope and resilience, offering a window into these traditions amidst the harsh realities of slavery, where coded language hid within work songs. It discloses the often overlooked Afro-Surinamese narratives from that era, revealing the intangible cultural heritage passed down from Africa to Suriname through generations. These hard-to-find songs shed a more human light on the past of the Surinamese people. As the Netherlands commemorates significant milestones in its history, Michelle Piergoelam’s “Songs in a Strange Land” not only honors the resilience of Afro-Surinamese ancestors but also serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring legacy of slavery, urging us to confront the complexities of our shared past and embrace a more inclusive narrative of cultural heritage.
Songs in a Strange Land is available for purchase via Lecturis here.
Michelle Piergoelam
is a Rotterdam-based art photographer who creates visual stories based on cultural myths, dreams and memories. Images where cultural traditions, stories and scenery are intertwined. She makes conscious use of native stories to tell the cultural importance as a way to witness culture and history.
Lecturis
was founded in 1922 as a book publisher. Since 1940, the Eindhoven company became a printing company that increasingly focused on quality printing for artists and the business community. From 2010 onwards, books were not only printed but also published with a focus on art, design and photography.
Text by Linda Zhengová
Curator of Discarded Magazine & XXX
She is a photographer and writer dealing with the topics of trauma, gender and sexuality.