In “The Soul of a Nation” – A Journey into the past, present and future of Surinamese Values”, writer Jean-Pierre Polanen takes the reader into the fascinating world of Surinamese Values. The journey begins at a general departure station where the concept of ‘motivational values’ is introduced, based on various global studies. Questions are answered such as: “Why does each person have a unique value system? What values exist and where do they come from? Which values contribute to well-being, sustainable success in the business world, and economic growth? How do countries such as India, Singapore, Canada, and the Netherlands use national values in their policies?”
An online values test is offered so the reader can discover their own values. With this knowledge, we then travel further to station Suriname where Polanen highlights the colorful past of the Surinamese nation in the area of values. Starting with describing the multi-ethnic population and describing the values contained in its Constitution, its coat of arms, its flag, and its national anthem. And the journey continues, mining and exploring even deeper into the people’s DNA: the values of the various Surinamese religions, including Shamanism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Winti, and Confucianism. But also the impact of several centuries of colonialism and slavery on the people’s values is considered.
The unique book then examines contemporary values reality in Suriname, whereby the reader learns about the outcome of a National Values Survey conducted in 2020 in the country. Polanen then explores the influence of corruption, social inequality, high youth unemployment, and social media on the nation’s value system.
However, the author does not stop at an analysis of the past and present, but describes in detail in the final chapter how a national program for strengthening values and norms throughout all levels of society could work. The role of leaders in this program is emphasized. But according to Polanen, in Suriname people often immediately think of the government and politics when they hear the word leaders, and that is not a complete view. When a country wants to change its value system, many other societal leaders can play a major role, for example, religious leaders, employers, media leaders, school principals, teachers, social media influencers, and parents. He describes how all these leaders -and others- can contribute to the proposed national program. Finally, Polanen describes how society could arrive at creating “living Surinamese National Values”. With this book, the writer aims to contribute to the values and norms dialogue and the development of well-being and prosperity in Suriname.
