The History

The original inhabitants of the Guyanese coast were Carib Indians. Covered by mangroves, the thinly populated, muddy coastline failed to attract Spaniards in search of gold, though they made occasional slave raids. Interior tropical forest peoples such as the Macushi and Tirió also survived in relative isolation.

The English established sugar and tobacco plantations on the west bank of the Suriname River around 1650 and founded the settlement now known as Paramaribo. Two decades later, the Dutch took possession in one of the silliest property deals ever transacted, by swapping New Amsterdam (present-day New York) for the English territory in Suriname. To expand their plantations, the Dutch imported West African slaves. From the mid-18th century, escaped slaves formed Maroon (Bush Negro) settlements in the interior, and retained many African customs. The abolition of slavery led to labor shortages in the early 19th century, and indentured laborers were brought in from the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), India, China, Portugal and Lebanon.

Despite limited autonomy, Suriname remained a colony until 1954, when it became a self-governing state; another 20 years passed before it gained independence. A military coup in 1980 brought Desi Bouterse to power. His brutal regime saw that all political opponents were murdered and also carried out a vicious campaign to suppress a rebellion of Bush Negroes. Posing as a Marxist, Bouterse flirted with Cuba (to the alarm of the USA and Brazil) and then with Libya (to the alarm of French Guiana). In 1987 free elections were held and a multiracial government was formed.

Although Bouterse no longer holds power, he staged another coup in 1990 and still lingers in the background as the main opposition leader. Despite leftist rhetoric, Ronald Venetiaan's coalition government proved amenable to multinationals, such as Suralco (a subsidiary of Alcoa), which control the country's lucrative bauxite industry. Venetiaan also granted many gold and timber concessions, but ultimately was unable to establish a working majority. In July 1996 Jules Wijdenbosch, from Bouterse's NDP party, was elected and immediately ended Venetiaan's structural adjustment programs.

In June 1999 Wijdenbosch called for an early election in a bid to avoid his removal from office. In response to the Suriname guilder's plunge from 700 to 2200 to the dollar, sometimes-violent protests drew as many as 20,000 people. Elections were originally scheduled for 2001, but Wijdenbosch bowed out prematurely to his predecessor Ronald Venetiaan, who was elected for his second tour of duty in August 2000.