Gouverneur Aarnoud van Heemstra (staand in donker pak) met een gezelschap op de Maäboberg in Suriname Possibly 1923 - 1929

Augusta Curiel, a female photographer of Afro-Surinamese descent, captured this image of Gouverneur Aarnoud van Heemstra and his companions on the Maäboberg in Suriname. At first glance, the photograph seems a straightforward depiction of colonial officials amidst the Surinamese landscape. Yet, the layered meanings of identity, power, and representation become apparent when viewed through a wider lens. Curiel’s unique position as a local woman photographing colonial figures unsettles traditional power dynamics. The composition situates the colonial subjects within the landscape. Their attire, which is starkly different from the local environment, emphasizes their foreign presence, thus creating a visual narrative about Dutch colonial authority in Suriname. Curiel’s very act of photographing this gathering can be seen as a reclaiming of the narrative, offering a counterpoint to colonial representations of the time. By framing this gathering through her own lens, Curiel invites a reevaluation of who has the authority to document and interpret history.