Alfonsdorp (

Lokono The Lokono or Arawak are an Arawak people native to northern coastal areas of South America. Today, approximately 10,000 Lokono live primarily along the coasts and rivers of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Barbados and French Guiana. They speak the ...

: Tibiti) is a village of indigenous

Lokono people The Lokono or Arawak are an Arawak people native to northern coastal areas of South America. Today, approximately 10,000 Lokono live primarily along the coasts and rivers of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Barbados and French Guiana. They speak t ...

in the Albina resort of the

Marowijne District Marowijne is a district of Suriname, located on the north-east coast. Marowijne's capital city is Albina, with other towns including Moengo and Wanhatti. The district borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, the Suri ...

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

. The village is located on the East-West Link. The Wanekreek Nature Reserve is located near the village.

Overview

Alfonsdorp has been named after their former village chief Alfons. During the

Surinamese Interior War The Surinamese Interior War ( nl, Binnenlandse Oorlog) was a civil war waged in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname between 1986 and 1992. It was fought by the Tucayana Amazonas led by Thomas Sabajo and the Jungle Commando led by Ronnie Brunswij ...

, the village was caught between the Suriname National Army and the

Jungle Commando The Jungle Commando (formally known as the Suriname National Liberation Army) was a guerrilla commando group in Suriname. It was founded by Ronnie Brunswijk in 1986 to ensure equal rights for Suriname's minority Maroon population. The group was fo ...

. Most of the village fled to Balaté near Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, French Guiana. On 29 november 1986, when

Moiwana Moiwana is a Maroon village in the Marowijne district in the east of Suriname. The village was the scene of the on November 29, 1986, during the Suriname Guerrilla War between the Surinamese military regime, headed by Dési Bouterse, and the Ju ...

was attacked by the Army, civilians were murdered in Alfonsdorp as well, and the village was destroyed. After a meeting with Thomas Sabajo of the

Tucayana Amazonas The Tucayana Amazonas was an Amerindian guerrilla warfare, guerrilla commando group in Suriname. Prior to the Tucayana Amazonas, many of the fighters had been soldiers during the Surinamese Interior War who fought on the side of the National Army ...

and Ronnie Brunswijk of the Jungle Commando their safety was assured, and people started to return to their former home. The village has a school. There used to be a clinic, but as of 2014, it was no longer in operation. In 2018, a catholic church was constructed. An ecotourism resort is located in the village. In 2014, Margriet Biswane was elected village chief. In August 2021, Alfonsdorp was connected to the electricity grid and received 24 hours of electricity.

Wanekreek Nature Reserve

Wanekreek detail-Map Suriname 1860-1879-part 5

Wanekreek is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

of Suriname. It measures and contains swamps, savannas, and marsh forests. It has been protected since 1986. The area is rich in wildlife, and is the breeding grounds for orange-winged amazons. The Wane Creek which lends its name to the nature reserve, connects the Marowijne with the Cottica River and was part of the inland waterway between the Marowijne and Paramaribo. A large bauxite concession is located near the nature reserve. The nature reserve is in an ongoing dispute with the indigenous villages of Marijkedorp and Alfonsdorp who consider it part of their hunting and fishing grounds. The area however has been uninhibited since the 1950s.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Village website
(in Dutch) {{Surinamese District Marowijne Indigenous villages in Suriname Populated places in Marowijne District