Artist Talk: Totomboti Collective

On Saturday, November 21, from 15:00 to 16:30, Thami Mnyele Foundation (Bellamystraat 21D) will host an artist talk with its fellows, Totomboti Collective.

Totomboti is a collective of artists, writers, and researchers, working at the intersection of nature conservation and knowledge transfer. They are known for their massive wood carvings and installations inspired by obia and other natural phenomena. In doing so, they continue the tradition of their African ancestors who fled slavery in coastal areas to settle in the deep interior of Suriname. Rooted in the Rastafarian movement of the early 1980s, the collective advocates for harmony with nature, Saramakaan cultural heritage, and community life. With this in mind, they founded the Saamaka Museum in 2009.

Totomboti’s work provides deeper insight into conservation, climate justice, oral and written sources, and thus a more complete picture of our shared (slavery/colonial) past. Elements and connections are exposed in the relationship between the present and the past, between man and nature (spirits), and the parallels between our common ancestors and us. Their works are based on the Saramakan concept of pau a pau futu dendu (tree among roots, or unity in diversity and interdependence) and reciprocity.

The collective in Pikin Slee consists of Alingo Doekoe, Paitoja Saakje, Bensaawa Amiemba, Abete Boyo Doekoe, Lietje Pansa, Marjet Zwaans and Vinije Haabo. In 2025, they received the Thami Mnyele Foundation award. Other activities include work with Buro Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, a group exhibition at Cobra Museum Amstelveen, and participation in the Oeral festival.

During the event, Marjet Zwaans and Vinije Haabo will share more about the collective’s practice and their time at the Thami Mnyele foundation, their role in the collective as facilitators, and how their backgrounds, linguistics and language, and visual arts influence their practice with Totomboti.