Court Charity is a friendly society of the Foresters Friendly Society. It is located on Burenstraat in the centre of Paramaribo, Suriname.[2] The building is a monument.[3]
| Court Charity | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within Paramaribo | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Paramaribo |
| Country |  Suriname |
| Coordinates | 5°49′38″N 55°09′47″W / 5.82719°N 55.16314°W |
| Completed | 13 November 1909[1] |
| Client | Foresters Friendly Society |
History
editJ.F. Waakhuizen became interested in the Ancient Order of Foresters in neighbouring Georgetown, British Guiana, and wanted to establish a court in Suriname.[4] The English headquarters gave permission on 8 December 1885,[5] and the court was inaugurated on 29 July 1886 as Court Charity no. 7416.[4] A cacao warehouse in Burenstraat was acquired,[4] and on 13 November 1909, the current building was inaugurated.[1] Originally, the court was part of the Guiana United District.[5]
Building
editThe style of the building is atypical. There are some Surinamese elements like the galleries, but also two distinct towers and a mansard roof.[6] The meeting room is on the top floor. On the wall there are paintings like Good Samaritan. The ceiling is vault like and depicts a sky with moon and stars.[1] The building was declared a monument in 1994. In 2014, it was renovated with financial aid of the Dutch embassy.[7]
Society
editIn 1928, the society started to grow. In 1938, Court Humanitas was founded to allow women in the society.[2] In 1972, the Court Charity of Suriname became an independent organisation.[8] As of 2006, the society has 1,600 members[8] over 17 courts.[9] The members are mainly elderly Afro-Surinamese people,[10] and the society has difficulty attracting younger members.[9]
A notable member was Lou Lichtveld who wrote Geschiedenis en Ontstaan der Foresterie (1952) about the history of the society using the pseudonym J.B. Tenoten (Junior Beadle of Court 10010).[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Van stad en land". De Surinamer via Delpher (in Dutch). 23 November 1909.
- ^ a b "Court Charity". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). 17 August 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ "Monumentenlijst (2014)". City of Paramaribo (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ a b c Mulder 2006, p. 44.
- ^ a b Benjamins, Herman Daniël; Snelleman, Johannes (1917). Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië (in Dutch). Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. pp. 303–305.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ "Court Humanitas, Burenstraat 26". City of Paramaribo (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ "Renovatie gebouw Court Charity hervat". Dagblad Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ a b c Mulder 2006, p. 45.
- ^ a b Mulder 2006, p. 53.
- ^ Mulder 2006, p. 42.
Bibliography
edit- Mulder, Jannes H. (2006). "De Ancient Order of Foresters in Suriname". OSO. Tijdschrift voor Surinaamse taalkunde, letterkunde en geschiedenis (in Dutch).
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