Now Where Did I Leave My Kwakoe?

In 2011 the Dutch government refused to give a license for the yearly Kwakoe (Kwaku) festival in Amsterdam, and for the first time in its history there would be no festival for the Surinam community to enjoy. The government claimed that it could only allow for a budget of 100,000 Euro when a total of about 200,000 Euro was needed.

The government did not want to invest, even though it would see a return in its investment in the form of jobs, licenses, public transport and parking, and of course taxes.