Monikondee

The Surinamese Maroons are the descendants of enslaved Africans who fled the plantations to settle in the impenetrable corners of the Surinamese rainforest. There, they have lived a traditional life for centuries, just as their ancestors did. But in recent years, the Maroons have found it increasingly difficult to keep the modern world, where economic interests always prevail, at bay.

In this documentary, we see how skipper Boogie is also noticing this. He supplies remote Maroon and indigenous communities with all kinds of goods via the Marowijne River. Although they still grow their own food, they have become increasingly dependent on what skippers like Boogie have to offer. Droughts and floods destroy their crops, while gold mining poisons the water. When the clan leaders ask him to attend his cousin's court case, which is seen as a matter of course, the obligations of his work begin to clash with those of tradition. There is no time for that; money must be earned.