The Philipsburg Jubilee Library in collaboration with the Jazzeko band invite you to their event, “An evening with Lieve Hugo: a taste of Suriname', on Saturday, November 2, at 7:30 pm, in the PJL Lounge.
At the core of this jointly organized event will be the use of music as a tool to bring awareness about the diversity within the Surinamese culture, to the community of St. Maarten. The multi-talented musicians of Jazzeko and the Library will be presenting a series of events to introduce the St. Maarten community to the rich, cultural heritage of Suriname. The entire evening will be dedicated to a popular style of Surinamese music, called Kaseko. This music style brought by the enslaved is a fusion of Jazz, Caribbean and other popular music from the various cultural groups residing in Suriname, with Afro-Surinamese folk traditions. In tribute to Kaseko music, the documentary film, “Iko, The King of Kaseko”, will be shown. This documentary is about Julius Theodoor Hugo Uiterloo, the popular, folk-music-singer known today as “Lieve Hugo”. Produced in 2008 by Vincent Soekra, the documentary film chronicles the life of Hugo through the experiences of close relatives and friends, while illustrating the development of “Kaseko” music.
Lieve Hugo, one of Suriname’s most renowned performing artists, transformed Suriname’s original traditional music style into something modern. He managed to not only popularize Kaseko music on Suriname but managed to take his music to the Netherlands, as well. Hugo’s music addressed the beauty of love and the complexity of politics in both Dutch and the Surinamese Creole language, Sranan Tongo.
The King of Kaseko died on November 15, 1975 of a heart attack, exactly 10 days before Suriname obtained its independence. His last song, “Srefidensi”, which means independence in Sranang tongo, was written and dedicated in observance of this memorable day in Suriname’s history.
Jazzeko, a multi-talented band established in 2009, whose name is a reflection of two of their favorite music styles, Jazz and Kaseko, merged together, is testament to the legacy left behind through Lieve Hugo’s music. Jazzeko will be playing the music of the late Lieve Hugo in tribute to his life and music.
The Library and Jazzeko hope to highlight the contributions of the Surinamese Community, in the musical and cultural development on St. Maarten. For more information on this event and to purchase your ticket at a cost of $10, please contact Robin Austen at 554-8265 or Andreas Joedoleksono at 554-0088.
