Herinneringen die rondspoken. Het verleden in een Afro-Surinaamse samenleving

Samenvatting

Haunted by memories: the past in an Afro-Surinam society. Much attention is usually given to a group's ideology, to the way socio-economic positions are legitimized by ideas and symbolism. Important political events, however, are also influenced by a group's collective fantasy. This paper discusses ideology and collective fantasy among the Ndjuka Maroons of Suriname. It purports to show that ideology and collective fantasy are to some extent different phenomena. While significant aspects of Ndjuka ideology remained constant for almost a hundred years, abrupt changes occurred in the fantasies that captivated the attention of Ndjukas. Since 1890 the Gaan Gadu ('Great Deity') cult of the Ndjuka Maroons offered a 'platform' for the discussion of feelings of guilt, and the need for punishment and atonement. After 1905 the rival cult of Ha Ogii ('The Danger') started to propagate ideas about the instant gratification of all impulses and needs, showing itself averse to restraint and moralism. The perspective adopted here is neither materialistic nor idealistic. It recognizes the significance of economic change, especially changes in the relations of production, but it also acknowledges the grip collective fantasies have on the minds of those exposed to them. Material forces and fantasies are in constant interaction. Shifts in the relations of production work as catalysts on people's imagination. Imageries that are partly or wholly incorporated in authoritative discourses are bound to restructure the distribution of resources.