The story
Keti Koti in Paramaribo
Keti Koti, meaning the chain is broken in Sranantongo, is Suriname's official Emancipation Day, observed nationally every 1 July since becoming a public holiday in 1955, commemorating the 1863 abolition of slavery with citywide commemorations, ceremonies, and processions across Paramaribo that draw Afro-Surinamese communities and the wider public together in remembrance.
On 1 July 1863, the Dutch colonial government formally abolished slavery in Suriname, a date that Surinamers now mark each year as Keti Koti, Sranantongo for the chain is cut or the chain is broken, one of the most emotionally significant days on the national calendar.