Court Charity

Court Charity is a friendly society of the Foresters Friendly Society. It is located on Burenstraat in the centre of Paramaribo, Suriname.^[2] The building is a monument.^[3]

Court Charity
Location within Paramaribo
General information
Location	Paramaribo, Suriname
Coordinates	5.82719°N 55.16314°W / 5.82719; -55.16314
Completed	13 November 1909[1]
Client	Foresters Friendly Society

History

J.F. Waakhuizen became interested in the Ancient Order of Foresters in neighbouring Georgetown, British Guiana, and wanted to establish a court in Suriname.^[4] The English headquarters gave permission on 8 December 1885,^[5] and the court was inaugurated on 29 July 1886 as Court Charity no. 7416.^[4] A cacao warehouse in Burenstraat was acquired,^[4] and on 13 November 1909, the current building was inaugurated.^[1] Originally, the court was part of the Guiana United District.^[5]

Building

The style of the building is atypical. There are some Surinamese elements like the galleries, but also two distinct towers and a mansard roof.^[6] The meeting room is on the top floor. On the wall there are paintings like Good Samaritan. The ceiling is vault like and depicts a sky with moon and stars.^[1] The building was declared a monument in 1994. In 2014, it was renovated with financial aid of the Dutch embassy.^[7]

Society

In 1928, the society started to grow. In 1938, Court Humanitas was founded to allow women in the society.^[2] In 1972, the Court Charity of Suriname became an independent organisation.^[8] As of 2006, the society has 1,600 members^[8] over 17 courts.^[9] The members are mainly elderly Afro-Surinamese people,^[10] and the society has difficulty attracting younger members.^[9]

A notable member was Lou Lichtveld who wrote Geschiedenis en Ontstaan der Foresterie (1952) about the history of the society using the pseudonym J.B. Tenoten (Junior Beadle of Court 10010).^[8]