Onverdacht

Onverdacht
Village
Bauxite mining at Onverdacht (1947)
Onverdacht
Coordinates: 5.612222°N 55.151111°W / 5.612222; -55.151111
Country	Suriname
District	Para District
Resort	Zuid
Time zone	UTC-3 (AST)

Onverdacht (listen^ⓘ) is a village in the resort of Zuid in the Para District of Suriname. Between 1941 and 2009, it was a bauxite mining town.

History

Onverdacht started as a wood plantation in 1737.[1] In 1863, the slaves were emancipated, and the plantation closed. In 1874, the land reverted back to the Surinamese government.[2]

In 1939, bauxite was discovered at Onverdacht by the Dutch Billiton company (nowadays part of BHP).[3] In 1941, a concession was granted to start mining at Onverdacht.[4] A prefab housing estate was built near the village to accommodate the workers,[5] however Onverdacht remained relatively small due to its proximity to Paramaribo.[3] In 1947, a recreation centre opened.[6] In 1949, a school opened.[7] A library,[8] and a fire department opened as well.[9]

In 1993, Billiton signed a joint venture with Suralco (Alcoa), and in 2009 closed their operations in Suriname.[10] In 2018, the police station closed down.[11]

References

1. "Plantages / O / Onverdacht (Parakreek)". Suriname Plantage (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 January 2022.
2. "Officiele berigten". Suriname via Delpher.nl (in Dutch). 8 December 1874. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
3. Anouk de Koning (October 2011). "Moengo on Strike: The Politics of Labour in Suriname's Bauxite Industry". European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies: 4.
4. "Bijzondere concessie aan de Billiton Mij". De West (in Dutch). 3 June 1941. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
5. Daphne Bakker (6 July 2020). "De bloei en teloorgang van de Surinaamse Bruynzeelwoningen". Stichting Archined (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 January 2022.
6. "Recreatiegebouw voor Billiton arbeiders". De West (in Dutch). 3 October 1947. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
7. "Aanbesteding". De Surinamer (in Dutch). 15 November 1949. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
8. "Suralco doneert terreinen aan organisaties". Star Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 January 2022.
9. "Brandweerlieden post Onverdacht bezorgd over hun werkomstandigheden". Dagblad Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 January 2022.
10. D.A. Monsels (17 March 2016). "Bauxite deposits in Suriname: Geological context and resource development". Netherlands Journal of Geosciences. 95 (4): Introduction. doi:10.1017/njg.2015.28. S2CID 131504966.
11. "Politie Onverdacht wordt ontmanteld". Surinamese Police (in Dutch). 10 May 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2022.