Bagasi - wat we meedragen (Keti Koti) + Q&A with the director - Chassé Cinema

Emma comes face to face with colonial history when she receives a suitcase from her father-in-law. Inside is the (photo) archive of her grandfather, Maarten de Niet; Attorney General and Acting Governor of Suriname from 1926 to 1953. During those same years, Emma’s Surinamese grandparents lived under his administration. Their houses were close to each other, but their worlds were separated by descent. 

Bagasi is a personal journey to trace the footprints left by this past. 

About Maarten De Niet 
Maarten De Niet was Attorney General and Acting Governor of Suriname between 1926 and 1953, involved in the arrest of resistance fighter Anton de Kom and the detention of trade union leader Louis Doedel in the psychiatric facility. 

In that same period, Emma's Surinamese grandparents lived under his rule. Their worlds were close, but divided by power and color.  At a time when discussions about colonial legacies are becoming increasingly urgent, the desire to uncover all photos, documents, and letters from De Niet grew stronger. She does this at the moment she is expecting a child. 

By opening the suitcase, not only does the forgotten period of colonial rulers surface, but she also delves with her mother into their own hidden history.