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Transcription: [00:14:27]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
Although the Governor is the formal head of the country, he is bound to act in agreement with the Cabinet of Ministers. There are nine members, headed by the Prime Minister. Also in the government structure is the Council made up of 21 representatives elected by popular majority vote.
[00:14:45]
The people are very devoted to the Royal Family and in keeping with the birthday spirit of the day this woman seems to be enjoying herself by testing her powers of balance, of which she obviously has ample. [[silence]] Later, to the Governor and his wife, she proudly presents her masterful arrangement of fruit and flags still remarkably in tact.
[00:15:16]
One of the most outstanding features of Suriname is its mixture of races. Here in the market this multiracial society mingle together yet each retains its own customs, dress, and religion.
[00:15:30]
The Creoles number the most, about 118,000 in all. The Hindus are next, numbering 94,000. The Javanese follow. And it is interesting to know that nowhere else in the western hemisphere is there such a large Javanese population. Then, there are about 4,000 Chinese and the same number of Europeans, mainly Dutch.
[00:15:53]
Here in the United States, we too, have a tremendous variety of national, racial, and religious backgrounds. But generally, by the second generation, we become what is known as Americanized. Not so in Suriname.
[00:16:06]
Here though all in all are Surinamers, this unique society of people with such diverse origins and dispositions all live together as one unit but, as I said, with each group still maintaining its individual heritage of dress, culture, and religion.
[00:16:23]
Here you will find the Catholic church, which is the largest wooden structure in the western hemisphere, an octagonally shaped Protestant church, the O synagogue, a Hindu temple, and for those of the Islamic faith, a very colorful mosque.
[00:16:46]