Index The Struggle is Real The production process in Suriname About
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The production process in Suriname

  • Research
  • Marowijne (SR)
  • March 2019 — May 2019
  • In collaboration with Suzanne Bernhardt
  • Thanks to KensliMambo
  • Supported by The Mondriaan Fund

In Europe, food is farmed on a large scale. In Suriname, however, food sources such as podosiri (açai berries) are picked in the wild, and processed using traditional methods.
As part of my research into podosiri, I captured the various phases of its production process in Suriname; the harvest (climbing high açaí palm trees, in the middle of the jungle), the processing into food, and the sale in French Guiana. Everyone in this production chain is self-employed, assuring their freedom and autonomy.
In eastern Suriname, producing and eating podosiri is inextricably linked to identity.

Close
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To get to the right place for podosiri picking, Kensli and Mambo travel down river
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Mambo and Kensli explore the forest to find a spot where a lot of pina palms grow
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Kensli looks for a pina palm with bountiful podosiri berries
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Kensli climbs about ten to fifteen palm trees in one morning
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Kensli clenches his machete between his teeth and ties his feet together to climb up the tree
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Some of the palm trees are twenty meters high
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Kensli uses his machete to cut off the branches with podosiri
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Holding the branches in his hand, Kensli swiftly slides down the palm tree
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Kensli hands the branch with podosiri berries to Mambo
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All the branches are collected on a blanket
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The branches are shook very hard so that the berries come off
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The remainder of the berries are removed by hand
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The berries in the bag are covered with palm leafs
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The podosiri berries are carried back to the village to be processed
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Mambo takes two bags of podosiri to his uncle's factory
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The small factory in Moengo processes large quantities of podosiri
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Visiting a small podosiri processing factory in Moengo
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A small machine mashes and sifs the berries
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All the podosiri pits are collected on one big pile and later on used for land reclamation
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A big bucket full of fresh podosiri. The podosiri is then packaged in small bags for sale
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The factory is a small family business
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Crushed ice for the cool box is made by freezing a large amount of water and then smashing the ice inside a garbage bag
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The cool box is filled with podosiri and ice
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The drive from Moengo to Albina takes about half an hour
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Mambo takes the berries across the river, to sell them in French Guiana
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Across the river, in French Guiana, Mambo sells the podosiri for euros