Court Charity
Court Charity is located in Paramaribo
Court Charity
Location within Paramaribo
General information
Town or cityParamaribo
CountrySuriname Suriname
Coordinates5°49′38″N 55°09′47″W / 5.82719°N 55.16314°W / 5.82719; -55.16314
Completed13 November 1909[1]
ClientForesters Friendly Society

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]

History

J.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

The 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

In 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

  1. 1 2 3 "Van stad en land". De Surinamer via Delpher (in Dutch). 23 November 1909.
  2. 1 2 "Court Charity". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). 17 August 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  3. ↑ "Monumentenlijst (2014)". City of Paramaribo (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Mulder 2006, p. 44.
  5. 1 2 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)
  6. ↑ "Court Humanitas, Burenstraat 26". City of Paramaribo (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  7. ↑ "Renovatie gebouw Court Charity hervat". Dagblad Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 Mulder 2006, p. 45.
  9. 1 2 Mulder 2006, p. 53.
  10. ↑ Mulder 2006, p. 42.

Bibliography

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