Witsanti (also ''Wit Santi''
) is an indigenous village of
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 t ...
and
Kalina
Kalina may refer to:
People
* Kalina people, or Caribs, an indigenous people of the northern coastal areas of South America
* Kalina language, or Carib, the language of the Kalina people
* Kalina (given name)
* Kalina (surname)
* Noah Kalina, ...
Amerindians in the
resort of
Zuid in the
Para District
Para is a district of northern Suriname. Para's capital city is Onverwacht, with other towns including Paranam, and Zanderij. Para has a population of 24,700 and an area of 5,393 km2. The district is the mining and forestry centre of Sur ...
in
Suriname. The village is located on the John F. Kennedyweg near the
Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport
Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport , also known as Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, and locally referred to simply as JAP, is an airport located in the town of Zanderij and hub for airline carrier Surinam Airways, south of Par ...
.
Overview
Witsanti has a school and a clinic. The village chief is Patrick Mandé.
Indigenous land
Witsanti is at the centre of an indigenous land conflict. It started in 2007, when a court awarded 643 hectares of land which included a burial ground of the village to two Dutch heirs of the Tempoca plantation.
, who was born in Witsanti, was elected Minister of Land Policy and Forest Management in 2013. The village was hopeful that the land issue would be resolved in its favour. In 2013, the airport was awarded land of the village,
and in 2016, laid claim to another piece of indigenous land. A demonstration lead to the arrest of Patrick Mandé, the village chief, and one of his ''basjas'' (council members). On 8 June 2016, the main access road to the airport was blocked in protest.
On 24 November 2020, the village threatened to go to
Inter-American Court of Human Rights over the issue.
References
{{Surinamese District Para
Indigenous villages in Suriname
Populated places in Para District