Suriname
God zij met ons Suriname
God Be with Our Suriname
1959
1975
Cornelis Atses Hoekstra and Henry de Ziel
Johannes Corstianus de Puy
✝ God / Faith 🤝 Unity 🌅 Hope ☮ Peace |
Context
Written by Cornelis Atses Hoekstra and Henry de Ziel with music by Johannes Corstianus de Puy. The anthem was adopted upon Suriname's independence from the Netherlands on November 25, 1975. Suriname is the only Dutch-speaking sovereign nation in South America, and the anthem's reference to 'however we came together here' acknowledges the country's diverse ethnic composition.
Lyrics
God zij met ons Suriname!
Hij verheff' ons heerlijk land.
Hoe wij hier ook samen kwamen,
Aan zijn grond zijn wij verpand.
Werkend houden w' in gedachten
Dat rechtvaardheid ons verbindt.
Dat geen roofzucht of tirannie
Onze jonge staat verwint.
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Interesting facts
- • Suriname is the only sovereign Dutch-speaking nation in South America, and its anthem is one of the few national anthems in the Dutch language
- • The line 'however we came together here' is a powerful acknowledgment of the country's diverse population, which includes Hindustani, Creole, Javanese, Maroon, Indigenous, Chinese, and European communities
- • Henry de Ziel, co-author of the lyrics, was also a renowned poet writing under the pen name Trefossa, and is considered the father of Surinamese literature