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Wan Pipel (Suriname) – Pride and Love in Post-Colonial Suriname

Wan Pipel Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

If you don’t know anything about Suriname, you should watch Wan Pipel! First and foremost it’s an ode to the beauty of Suriname, from the diversity of Paramaribo to the Amazon rain forest. Secondly, it’s also a commentary on prejudice, marriage rites, and post-colonialism. Check out the full film below (via YouTube)!

Why Watch Wan Pipel?
  • To see Suriname! You’ll visit the capital, Paramaribo, the Amazon jungle, and get a glimpse of Suriname’s diversity
  • It’s got a love triangle! But luckily this one is not clichéd
  • Witness some of the effects of Colonialism
  • To learn that you often need to leave home in order to appreciate it
The Breakdown

It’s the late 1970s. Suriname is now an independent republic after 300 years of Dutch colonialism. In Paramaribo (Suriname’s capital) a dying mother sends her eldest son Roy a telegram to come home from Amsterdam (where he is studying) to see her before she passes away.

Her son comes home to find his home country completely different to how he remembered it. In contrast to the stuffy Dutch society he is surrounded with in Amsterdam, returning to a vibrant Paramaribo reveals just how much he has missed his home country.

This is obvious in the tone of the film. In Amsterdam, he mingles with his white girlfriend’s family who crack bad jokes about Surinamese people as if he wasn’t Surinamese. However, in contrast, the mood changes right after his mother’s funeral when he is at home in Suriname. At this point, upbeat music starts playing and Roy gorges on all the street food Paramaribo has to offer. He even changes his shirt in the street, donning a  top with the Surinamese flag branded on the front. It’s obvious he is loving being back in his home country.

So there’s a love triangle that isn’t clichéd?

Yup. You’ve probably seen many cheesy love triangles in films such as Twilight, The Notebook, and Pearl Harbour, but luckily for you, Wan Pipel is different. The love triangle actually adds to the film.

  1. Firstly, on a superficial level, Roy’s relationship with Rubia, a Hindu Surinamese nurse, represents the diversity of the people of Suriname.
  2. Secondly, Roy’s relationship with Rubia highlights the prejudice in Suriname. Roy’s dad is incensed that Roy comes home and goes off every night with an Indian girl instead of staying true to his white Dutch girlfriend at home in Amsterdam. Roy’s dads loyalty to his son’s Dutch girlfriend is a sign that the colonial mentality has not disappeared with Surinamese independence.
  3. Thirdly, and perhaps most interestingly, the love triangle is an allegory for the unshackling of Suriname from Dutch colonialism. Roy’s relationship with the Dutch Karina represents Suriname’s attachment to it’s colonisers. It’s a relationship which he is forced to use to sponsor his ticket back to Suriname to see his dying mother. In contrast, his relationship with Rubia represents pride in Suriname’s diversity and it’s independence from Colonialism. She is Hindu, he is Black, and their success vs. Karina represents a triumph for Surinamese independence.
Conclusion and What to Watch Next

Wan Pipel is definitely worth a watch. You’ll feel Surinamese pride flowing in this film and all the effects of the country’s troubled history. Plus, it’s all available to watch for free right here.

If you are looking for more films featuring a rediscovery of how much someone loves their roots, check out Wallay. It features a mischievous boy who is taken and left in Burkina Faso with his Burkinabe family to work back the money he stole from his dad.

If you are looking for another post-colonial film, check out Cuba’s Lucia, which follows three characters called Lucia across different eras of Cuba’s history.

Or, if you’re looking for another good love film, here are a few great options we recommend: