Saamaka Oto Vsg

We, the Saamaka communities, are Afro-Surinamese people belonging to the Saamaka tribe. Approximately community members live in our territory – approximately 5% of the Surinamese population. We have lived in Suriname’s rainforest for more than 300 years. We are stewards of 1.4 million hectares of Amazon rainforest – 9% of the Surinamese territory. With the rapid advancement of uncontrolled logging and gold mining in their territories, this tribe is at risk of extinction. How are we organized? The Association of Saamaka Authorities (VSG) was created in 1996 to represent the position of traditional Saamaka leaders from 74 villages (and their people) concerning increasing human and land rights violations by the Surinamese state. As an organized group, these leaders, through the VSG, could successfully take such violations to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.