PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC – France has awarded the Legion of Honor, its highest national award, to Surinamese writer Cynthia McLeod-Ferrier. French Ambassador Nicolas de Lacoste, presenting the award, noted her exceptional literary and historical contributions and praised her tireless research in old archives.
“It is because of your literary work, which is now known worldwide. It is for your dedication to history and the passing on of memories from generation to generation, even when those memories are dark and painful.”
Mc Leod-Ferrier said she was accepting the award with great gratitude and historical awareness.
“Not only as a writer, but as a Surinamese who believes in the power of memory, dialogue, and shared history,” said the writer, the daughter of Suriname’s first president, Johan Ferrier, who has dedicated her life to unlocking Surinamese history.
“We need to know our history, not to get stuck in it, but to understand it – and where necessary, to do things differently,” she told the ceremony held at the French ambassador’s residence and attended by family and friends.
“It is for your commitment to your country, its identity, its ancient culture, its past, and its future that I present you with the decorations of Knight of the Legion of Honor,” the ambassador explained.
Mc Leod-Ferrier said that when a Surinamese person receives a French award, it is not only a personal honor but also a great honor for Suriname.
“That I am standing here tonight is thanks to their encouragement,” she said, paying tribute to young people, adding, “history is never dead. It lives on in our streets, in our language, in our names”.
De Lacoste pointed out that McLeod also has a personal connection to France. Her surname, Ferrier, traces back to the French Huguenots who sought refuge in Suriname since 1685. Her debut novel and bestseller, How Much Was the Sugar? (1987) was a smash hit and remains her best-selling book to this day, both in Suriname and abroad. The work was adapted into a film in 2013.
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