Oema foe Sranan

Oema foe Sranan (Women of Suriname) is the first documentary about Suriname spoken in Sranantongo in the years around independence. The film follows four women, Jetty, Sonja, Somai and Sylvie, who resisted misrecognition and exploitation and the poverty they experienced on a daily basis. Through their personal stories, they give insight into the history of colonialism, neo-colonialism and discrimination in Suriname and the Netherlands.

The causes of poverty are portrayed through quotes from Wij slaven van Suriname (We slaves of Suriname) by Anton de Kom, the book included in the Dutch Canon. It is an indictment of the Netherlands' role as coloniser and of foreign corporations that enrich themselves but leave the country destitute. The film shows a struggling people rather than a suffering people. Oema foe Sranan is a political film: a result of solidarity between Surinamese and Dutch.

The documentary was produced by Cineclub Vrijheidsfilms in collaboration with LOSON (Landelijke Organisatie van Surinamers in Nederland). Eye decided with the IISH to restore it in 2021.