De Magische Tuin van Mbah Semie

Each year, Stichting Projecten organizes a writing competition called “Het Beloofde Boek” (The Promised Book), featuring various themes to highlight Surinamese children’s literature and promote reading among young people. In 2015, the contest’s theme was biodiversity, sponsored by the Suriname Conservation Foundation. I was honored to win the title of “Promised Book 2015” with my children’s book, “De Magische Tuin van Mbah Semie.”

The inspiration for this book came from a dream or wish I had for my grandmother Wiesje, who had a long and painful period of being sick, which left her unable to walk. I remembered how much joy she found in her garden, surrounded by fruit trees, medicinal plants, and blooming flowers. This book started as a wish to imagine her walking and enjoying her garden. Now that she passed away, it is an ode to her resilience, love, and care. ‘Semie’ also translates to ‘blooming’ in Ngoko Jawa.

Additionally, as the competition’s theme was biodiversity, I aimed to weave folklore and mythology into each story to challenge the dominant narrative that ‘development’ equates to ‘modernization.’ There is a wealth of wisdom in Javanese folklore about living harmoniously with nature and other beings. Surinamese and Javanese culture thrives on the oral transmission of knowledge and wisdom, so through this book, I sought to explore our relationship with nature through the lens of the past, while addressing contemporary environmental challenges in Suriname in the present.

Unfortunately this book is no longer available in book stores and I’m looking for funding opportunities to re-publish this, so if you have any ideas or can provide me with advice, feel free to contact me!