Publication: `Peperpot`, Slates & Freemasonry

Picture: `Peperpot`, Slates & Freemasonry Tuesday 29 April 2008 - Because of my profound interest in Surinam history & culture and in freemasonry as well I was  eager to visit the former plantation `Peperpot `at the `Suriname Rivier`.
 

My associate drs. Marije van Zomeren and I were invited by two members of the `Peperpot Foundation, Alan Thijsseling of successful Restaurant Dok 204 and the wellknown architect ir. Philip Dikland. Our travel companions Caroline Tasseron & her husband Johan van Toll (Forest Returns Consul and cineast of our movie `Switi Sranan`) and my brother-freemason drs. Henk Essed joined us on this ultimate trip.

I was impressed by the special atmosphere of the surrounding area of `Peperpot` including:

... and all this so close to Paramaribo.

My respect for architect Philip Dikland and his mate Alan Thijsseling (as the `guardian angles` of this heritage) was  growing more and more as both -as private persons- had invested so many hours and  Surinam dollars  preventing  the former `koffieloods Peperpot`from further decay and furthermore starting the reconstruction step-by-step.

Marije had already invested  a lot of time and consultancy hours, for free,  to suggest (her business friend from the very past) Alan Thijsseling some attractive proposals to gain extra funds from Dutch and international authorities for the restauration and the exploration of the `Voormalige Koffieloods Peperpot`.

Marije and I showed our personal and business interest in re-investing in real assets (if they are really real...) and in exploring the whole former plantation Peperpot in line with the vision we showed concerning the lands of the Surinam families Chung, Abdoelrahman and Persad as to the  former plantations Mariënbosch (147 + 365 hectares) & Guadeloupe (311 hectares),  823 hectares in all, stressing allodial and undeniable ownership.

However, unfortunately the land rights of former plantation `Peperpot` seem to be rather disputable. Probably the Surinam and/or Dutch government and/or curators of former Dutch companies such as Nederlandsche Handelmaatschappij and successors (ABN AMRO Bank ?) can still claim land rights at this time.

As I was told by different experts like:
...it will be hard  to become official owner of real assets in the near future.

Inspite of positive personal contacts with President Ronald Venetiaan and other Surinam authorities Marije and I had a strong growing intuitive feeling NOT to invest, as long as legal rights are still disputable.

Anyway, back to basics; with the permission of Philip Dikland I could buy for a reasonable price     some ancient slates (and former tiles) of `Peperpot` to be used during a special ceremony  organised by Henk Essed, `Provinciaal Grootmeester of all Surinam masonic lodges`, ir. Hans Hanenberg and me on 28-04-2008 (yesterday night !). You can download  the Epigram `Tastbare tekens, tokens & totems` I wrote last night, also as a tribute to `Peperpot`.

If interested you can sail to "Photography" to see some pictures of different events:

Moreover, later on Marije and I were invited by Alan Thijseling and Philip Dikland to have a brainstorm session concerning `Back to a fertile future with Peperpot` on the cosy terrace of Restaurant Dok 204. 

 Meanwhile I had introduced ir. Philip Dikland to an other architect who is very familiar with Surinam monumental buildings: ir. Aimée de Back (together with her partner ir. Christian Smith founder of Atlantic Architects), who I had met shortly before on a so called fish party in Paramaribo.

Alan, Philip, Marije, Aimée and I had an interesting brainstom session about `Peperpot` during that special moon light dinner at Dok 204...

To be continued ??

« Back to all publications

Archive