When you ask a Surinamese or Antillean person about their ancestry, you usually get a long list of ethnicities: Creole, Dutch, Chinese, Indian, Indigenous. I see that reflected in the face of this beautiful woman as well. Mostly Creole, of course, but also a bit of Dutch and, oddly enough, Indigenous. I once visited the Mayans and saw the same contours in their faces. The Dutch part often traces back to the history of slavery. Usually, it’s not a pretty story. Once, I painted a Surinamese man with dark skin but blue eyes. He always wore sunglasses because he was ashamed of his eyes. There is still so much pain over what happened.
Carrying the whole world within you and doing it in such a beautiful and elegant way, on a wall in Otrobanda, is something powerful. It’s no wonder she looks out at the world with such confidence—she is the whole world in one.