KOTO AND ANGISA:
CONSERVING TRADITIONAL CREOLE HERITAGE IN SURINAME
During the last quarter of the 19th century, after the abolition of slavery, a unique dress, Koto, was designed by the Creole women in and around Paramaribo, Suriname, which could be regarded as an expression of their freedom and independency. The Koto is always worn with an accompanying head wrap called the Angisa. The dresses were traditionally designed for specific occasions e.g birthdays, field work, wedding, mourning etc.
The Koto is a multi-layered dress and consists of several parts (13), basically a long skirt (koto), a short blouse (yaki) and an intricately folded headdress or headwrap (the angisa), which could be tied in various styles, with each an own meaning. These could convey the mood of its wearer or send a message. The clothing fabrics of the koto as well as the headkerchiefs were given names, mainly odo (proverbs).
Two important steps were taken during the recent years in order to safeguard this cultural heritage element. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Koto Museum, situated in a monumental house in the heart of Paramaribo, the capital city. The Koto Museum is a privately-owned museum, that is a continuation of a family tradition rooted in a strong believe to conserve this heritage.
The other set of safeguarding actions were undertaken by NAKS, a community-based institution in Paramaribo that focuses on documenting and awareness building related to Afro-Surinamese heritage traditions. In cooperation with UNESCO, NAKS has executed a Koto inventory with focus on the safeguarding the traditional Koto dress including the Angisa, the Sranan language, handicrafts and music performance.
Nowadays ladies are dressed in Koto on special occasions, birthdays, celebrations, anniversaries, religious events and specially organized Kotodansi, dance parties, only for women dressed in Koto accompanied by local Kaseko music.