Bridging Controversy: Astrid Roemer and the Dutch Literary Award
Receiving the prestigious Dutch literary accolade stirred controversy as the recipient faced criticism for controversial remarks.
Astrid Roemer, hailing as the initial Surinamese laureate of the revered Netherlands’ literary honor, the Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren, encountered the cancellation of her award ceremony following her expression of support for former Suriname president Dési Bouterse via Facebook. Despite the annulment of the award ceremony where King Philippe was slated to present the £40,000 prize, Roemer will still be granted the monetary prize.
The sequence of events unfolded when, as reported by Dutch news outlet deVolkskrant, Roemer labeled Bouterse as “unforgettably brave” on her Facebook profile. Bouterse stands convicted of orchestrating the abduction, torture, and execution of sixteen prominent critics of his regime back in 1982, and presently, he is appealing the conviction. Roemer not only backed Bouterse’s appeal but also cast doubt on his involvement in the said atrocities.
This stance ignited outrage among numerous Surinamese nationals. Rita Dulci Rahman, head of the Caribbean Letters Working Group, who suffered personal losses in the 1982 killings, publicly withdrew from the award ceremony in protest against Roemer’s proclamations in favor of Bouterse. Meanwhile, Lilian Gonçalves-Ho Kang You, who mourned the loss of her husband in the same events, urged the organizers to denounce Roemer’s remarks as “antagonistic to democracy and the rule of law.” Attorney Gerald Spong equated honoring Roemer with granting a literary award to a member of the NSB shortly after World War II.
On the 12th, the Committee of Ministers of the Language Union, in collaboration with Literatuur Vlaanderen and the Dutch Foundation for Literature, issued a statement expressing unequivocal disapproval of Roemer’s sentiments. The statement stressed that Roemer’s views were so objectionable that hosting a celebratory award ceremony would be inappropriate.