The Free Negress Elisabeth - Prisoner of Colour

Elisabeth Samson, a remarkable eighteenth century free Black Surinamese woman, is the main protagonist in the compelling book “The Free Negress Elisabeth – Prisoner of Color”. This powerful novel weaves together a poignant delineation of the personal life of Elisabeth with a rich harvest of factual historical data on the period of Dutch colonial rule.

How she acquired such wealth in a time of slavery and institutionalised discrimination has intrigued a number of historians and Caribbean scholars. To put Elisabeth Samson’s fortune into a contemporary perspective, one could say that it compares in relative terms with the wealth of Oprah Winfrey, the well-known Black American talk-show hostess.

Throughout the story, we are gripped by Elisabeth’s desire to challenge the prevailing racial stereotype by demonstrating her intelligence and business acumen. Above all, we remain intrigued with this mysterious, fascinating, and intelligent Black woman’s dream of marrying a White man, in defiance of all norms and conventions, to gain the acceptance she craves in Dutch colonial society.

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About the author:


Cynthia Mc Leod was born in Paramaribo, Suriname in 1936 into a family of six. A teacher of Dutch language and literature for many years, she is widely regarded as one of the leading authorities on Surinamese history. She has written a number of compelling historical novels apart from the book on Elisabeth Samson.

 Her first novel, `Hoe duur was the suiker?’ (The high price of sugar) was published in Suriname in 1987 and dealt with Jewish settlements in Suriname in the second half of the eighteenth century. It was and remains a bestseller.

Cynthia Mc Leod was decorated Dame of the Honorary Order of the Golden Palm in 1998 by the President of Suriname. In 2006 she received the Paul Harris Award from Rotary Suriname for her outstanding work.

Book with 12 images and no text, portraying the trip of a little girl with her parents to the forest. In the forest, while her parents are sleeping she goes on an adventure with a spider monkey. They meet Lucia the baby Sloth and her mother and manage to save Lucia from a scary animal.

There is one page on which all important elements from the plates are named in Dutch, Sranantongo, English and Latin, as well as one page with instructions on how to use the book.

The CD contains a sloth website that tells the story of Loesje. The website is interactive, and contains pictures, video and information on sloths.

In addition, there are two audio files on it that contain the story as conceived on the basis of the pictures by Surinamese actress Helen Kamperveen and the English narration by Sean Taylor of that story.

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About the authors:

The book is based on an idea of Monique Pool and was produced in collaboration with Chad Abdoellah (illustrator) and Helen Kamperveen (Dutch text and narration).

The purpose of this book is to to help educate Surinamese and other children about the natural environment in Suriname, particularly the animals. So that children and adults can rediscover their bond with nature and their own humanity and compassion through sloths and promote the causes of the Animal Protection Society in Suriname. It will also raise awareness about habitat loss. The conservation message has three layers:

 - Sloths are beautiful animals that are gentle creatures to be treasured by everyone.
- Do not take animals from the wild and from their mother to live with people.
 - Habitat loss is a cause of concern.

This children’s book was written by the guardian of Loesje two years before Loesje became her ward. It is the story of how another, adult sloth was saved by the author from death on the road, while it was migrating in search of food. The story is simple and addresses a young audience who can enjoy the beautiful drawings by artist Chad Abdoellah. The book is provided with translations in English.

The book is handmade and signed by the author and artist.

About the author:

Monique Pool was born in 1964 in the Netherlands of Surinamese parents. When she reached the age of thirteen her parents decided to return to Suriname, where she finished her secondary school. In 1982 she left Suriname to study in Belgium and England. Ten years later she returned to the country of her ancestors, where, in addition to translating and writing, she became increasingly interested in environmental issues. In December 2004 she started her own business, Suriname Environmental Advisory Services NV, which is involved in promoting the green image of Suriname inside and outside of the country
(see www.seasnv.biz).

About the author:

Monique Pool was born in 1964 in the Netherlands of Surinamese parents. When she reached the age of thirteen her parents decided to return to Suriname, where she finished her secondary school. In 1982 she left Suriname to study in Belgium and England. Ten years later she returned to the country of her ancestors, where, in addition to translating and writing, she became increasingly interested in environmental issues. In December 2004 she started her own business, Suriname Environmental Advisory Services NV, which is involved in promoting the green image of Suriname inside and outside of the country

(see www.seasnv.biz).

The illustrations in the book were made by children from the three countries in a competition organized by the Rotary Clubs in Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.