Ramdjan Abdoelrahman | Netherlands| 2013 | 83' | Dutch, English, Hindi | English subtitles
Mariënburg, the former sugar plantation near Paramaribo, is cursed. Those who know its history prefer not to talk about it. When the Netherlands finally ended slavery in 1863, the largest sugarcane plantation of Suriname, at Mariënburg, faced a shortage of workers. Poor farmers from India and Java were recruited to come and work at the plantation. The working conditions were however so miserable that a large group of workers started an uprising in 1902. The Dutch authorities intervened harshly and dozens were killed. To make things even worse, the bodies were thrown into a mass grave and covered with quicklime. The Hindustani relatives believe that their beloveds' souls will therefor never be able to reincarnate.
20-year-old Reshna is a woman of Hindustani descent who studies Economics in The Hague. Her father lives in Suriname. When he falls ill, she decides to go see him. Her niece Sadhana warmly welcomes her and tells her all about their family history. It appears that her father has contracted an inexplicable disease at Mariënburg, reason for Reshna to investigate things further. However, her niece and grandmother prefer not to talk about this time. Not before long Reshna is plagued by nightmares and starts seeing ghosts...
The director Ramdjan Abdoelrahman will be present for a Q&A after the screening.
Rialto: Sun 18 aug – 17:00 Sold out
Sun 18 aug – 17:15 