Villa Zapakara: Empowering Surinamese youth
Villa Zapakara: Empowering Surinamese youth

Villa Zapakara: Empowering Surinamese youth

At the Royal Talens Foundation, we're delighted to share the impactful work of Villa Zapakara, a nonprofit organization in Suriname dedicated to enriching children's lives through educational and cultural programs. Their current initiative, running from August 2024 through December 2026, demonstrates how creative materials can play a vital role in connecting young people with their cultural heritage.

Cultural immersion

Villa Zapakara's "Kampong Villa Zapakara" exhibition offers a comprehensive exploration of Surinamese-Javanese culture. Each year, approximately 10,000 primary school students (ages 6-12) participate in interactive experiences that introduce them to traditional gamelan music, dance, food, wayang storytelling, and the historical journey of the first Javanese generations in Suriname.

Preserving traditional art: batik workshop

The batik workshop stands as a centerpiece of Villa Zapakara's programming. Here, young participants learn about the rich history and techniques behind traditional batik art. Royal Talens Foundation's Decoupage medium has proven essential to this process, serving as the resist medium that blocks paint from specific areas of the fabric—a technique fundamental to batik creation. After applying the medium, students bring their designs to life using Textile Silk paints, resulting in vibrant, personalized batik patterns.

Exploring creative technology

For older students (ages 12-16), Villa Zapakara's ZapLab workshop offers a different approach to cultural exploration. Participants examine the experiences of the first Javanese generations through poetry, video, and historical photographs. This examination serves as inspiration for students to reflect on their own roots and identity, culminating in the creation of stop-motion videos using paper cut-outs.

Beyond these structured workshops, Royal Talens materials—including brushes, acrylic paint, markers, watercolor paper, palettes, pens, and wax crayons—find purpose in Villa Zapakara's after-school and vacation programs. These materials support diverse educational activities that foster hands-on learning and artistic expression throughout the year.

Impact on young artists

The project has already made a meaningful difference in participants' lives. Students in the batik workshop have shown remarkable enthusiasm, with many expressing a desire to continue creating beyond their scheduled sessions. Perhaps most significantly, participants who initially doubted their artistic abilities discovered newfound confidence through the creative process, realizing that with appropriate materials and guidance, they could create work that filled them with pride.

Villa Zapakara's initiative exemplifies how artistic materials can bridge cultural understanding while developing creative confidence in young people. Through partnerships with organizations like the Dutch Embassy in Suriname, the Staatsolie Foundation for Community Development, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science (Suriname), Villa Zapakara continues to provide transformative educational experiences for Suriname's youth.

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