While in Suriname the lawsuit concerning the so-called December killings of 1982 drags along, the documentary making duo Schmidt and Doebele assesses the sentiments in the country that gained independence in 1975. Their operating base is old people's home Huize Margriet in Paramaribo, where those who witnessed the independence and Bouterse's coup from up close now vent their opinion about Suriname then and now from their small gardens or in front of the TV. At school, Bouterse was an indifferent lout, a former classmate recalls. Suriname could have demanded more in the negotiations about independence, another thinks. A former nurse remembers how after the killings the corpses were carried into the hospital. At the same time, Schmidt and Doebele look for the young journalists of TV station Apintie, who report on current events and show that Bouterse - one of the suspects of the December killings - still dominates the conversation as chairman of the National Democratic Party. The residents of Huize Margriet follow it with mixed feelings. It is still 'soup with forcemeat balls', someone summarises the situation.
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VPRO TV
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