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PARAMARIBO - Many old cemeteries have been neglected or overgrown. The realization that there is historical value is still insufficient when looking at how this funerary heritage is handled. A lot of money is needed for the maintenance of old cemeteries.

The Platform Historical Cemeteries was set up for the structural approach and maintenance of the old cemeteries. "Together we are strong. By working together, however cliché that may sound, you can achieve more. It is important that this sector is now better organized", says Johan Roozer, policy advisor at the Ministry of Education and Culture. He is the initiator of this project together Stephen Fokké from the Suriname Built Heritage Foundation (SGES).

Indian architect Kaanan Thakkar is currently working on a thesis on the Dutch Cemetery in Surat as part of the Advanced Masters in Conservation of Monuments and Sites at RLICC (KU Leuven), Belgium. Her research includes an internship at the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands.

Through a specific case scenario of Surat in Gujarat, Kaanan Thakkar wishes to understand the cultural significance of the cemetery in the perceptions of local communities as shared heritage, while also building upon narratives that explain their unique trans-cultural architectural and heritage characters and recommending their possible integration in the local urban landscape as a factor of sustainable development.