Indigenous peoples have to take care of their own development within their communities. Older people in society should make it their task to transfer knowledge within the communities. According to Jona Gunther, vice president of the Association of Indigenous Village Heads in Suriname (VIDS), entrepreneurship should therefore be promoted and stimulated in the indigenous communities.

Ingi Dey, who was commemorated on August 9, was supposed to be a snapshot of the goals that have yet to be realized and implemented. “We cannot wait for projects from the government or other organizations. We have to come up with the initiatives ourselves,” says Gunther.

The indigenous people are mainly known for upholding norms and values, says entrepreneur Joyce Birambi-Jordan. She believes that this point is fading among young people. Birambi-Jordan believes that the elderly should now be more open than ever to teach the traditions to young people.

Having respect for culture and tradition should not fade from Western culture and traditions, which are not part of the traditional knowledge and culture of the indigenous people. Nowadays there is hardly any question that young people can still speak their traditional indigenous languages. The various indigenous languages ​​are disappearing because more Dutch is now spoken than the traditional language.

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