Whose (Hi)story, Whose Words?
Tessa Leuwsha and David McKay, in conversation with Henriette Louwerse, explore the importance of re-writing Dutch colonial stories from new perspectives and the art of translating them.
Surinamese-Dutch author Tessa Leuwsha’s novel, Plantation Wildlust, is set in Suriname in the early twentieth century and depicts the power structures following the abolition of slavery.
She is joined by David McKay, translator of We Slaves of Suriname. Written in 1934 by author and activist, Anton de Kom, this is the first history of Suriname from an anticolonial point of view. This event will open colonial literature to a wide audience and shed light on the negotiations that go with sensitive and inclusive translations of historical texts.
Dr Henriette Louwerse is Director of Studies and Senior Lecturer in Dutch in the School of Languages and Cultures, University of Sheffield.