Witsanti (also ''Wit Santi'') is an indigenous village of

Lokono The Lokono or Arawak are an Arawak people native to northern coastal areas of South America. Today, approximately 10,000 Lokono live primarily along the coasts and rivers of Guyana, with smaller numbers in Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Trinida ...

and

Kalina Kalina may refer to: People * Kalina people The Kalina, also known as the Caribs or mainland Caribs and by several other names, are an Indigenous people native to the northern coastal areas of South America. Today, the Kalina live largely in ...

Amerindians in the

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...

of Zuid in the

Para District Para is a district of northern Suriname. Para's capital city is Onverwacht, with other towns including Paranam, and Zanderij. Para has a population of 24,700 and an area of 5,393 km2. The district is the mining and forestry centre of Sur ...

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

. The village is located on the John F. Kennedyweg near the

Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport , also known as Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, and locally referred to simply as JAP, is an airport located in the town of Zanderij and hub for airline carrier Suriname Airways, Surinam Airway ...

Overview

Witsanti has a school and a clinic. The village chief is Patrick Mandé.

Indigenous land

Witsanti is at the centre of an indigenous land conflict. It started in 2007, when a court awarded 643 hectares of land which included a burial ground of the village to two Dutch heirs of the Tempoca plantation. , who was born in Witsanti, was elected Minister of Land Policy and Forest Management in 2013. The village was hopeful that the land issue would be resolved in its favour. In 2013, the airport was awarded land of the village, and in 2016, laid claim to another piece of indigenous land. A demonstration lead to the arrest of Patrick Mandé, the village chief, and one of his ''basjas'' (council members). On 8 June 2016, the main access road to the airport was blocked in protest. On 24 November 2020, the village threatened to go to

Inter-American Court of Human Rights The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (I/A Court H.R.) is an international court based in San José, Costa Rica. Together with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, it was formed by the American Convention on Human Rights, a human r ...

over the issue.

References

{{Surinamese District Para Indigenous villages in Suriname Populated places in Para District