Inside, I've seen some exhibitions. Indian folk art, vintage photography and bottles. My travel companion tells me about bottles buried in the jungle under solitary tall trees that dominate the landscape around them. The giant with its long stem and small crown is at once feared and revered. If you please the tree spirit by hiding food, valuables and bottles of rum between its roots, the tree will protect you but if you fail, the tree which is naturally inclined to anger will turn against you. If you find old gifts that have been turned up by the soil at the foot of the giant, you can take these but I wouldn't. What evil spirit, which wisi will you carry home with you? Does it help if you don't believe in it?

Upstairs on a bastion there's a simple wooden fence along the stone wall. The space between wall and fence is small. There, fifteen citizens of Suriname were killed on 8 December 1982. Officially it's unclear what exactly happened and who did the actual killing. The court case to find out has been opened just before it would have been barred by lapse of time and it is unsure if the proceedings will ever be completed. It might last as long as it takes until everyone has forgotten about it. The victims were supposed to have been killed during an attempted escape but this spot at the bastion, a corner high upon the stone wall, makes an escape unlikely.

Desi Bouterse has admitted to be ‘responsible’ for the killings but he talks as if he is some other person who must be protected against the evil outside world: “They want to make the people believe that Bouterse pulled the trigger, just to be able to eliminate him.” A tall, strong and sinister man who can be a jovial and charismatic comrade to those who support him. He knows how to throw a party, but speaking about the victims he told journalist Nina Jurna that “there should've been a lot more of them.”