List of Famous people born in Paramaribo, Suriname
Johan Ferrier
Johan Henri Eliza Ferrier was a Surinamese politician who served as the 1st President of Suriname from 25 November 1975 to 13 August 1980. He was that country's last governor before independence, from 1968 to 1975, and first president after it gained independence from the Netherlands.
Ramsewak Shankar
Ramsewak Shankar is a Surinamese politician who was the 4th President of Suriname, serving from 1988 to 1990. His government was overthrown by Dési Bouterse leading a bloodless military coup. Shankar had previously served as Agriculture & Fisheries Minister from 1969 to 1971.
Raymond Henri Pos
Raymond Henri Pos was a Surinamese diplomat and lawyer. He served as first Minister Plenipotentiary of Suriname from 29 December 1954 until 1 August 1963. Subsequently, he was appointed Dutch Ambassador of Cuba. Pos played a major role in the creation of the 1954 Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands which established the political relationship between the Netherlands and its former colonies.
Virgil Soeroredjo
Virgil Soeroredjo is a former Surinamese badminton player and now coach. He competed for Suriname at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He also competed for Suriname at 3 Pan Am Games: the 2003 Pan American Games, the 2007 Pan American Games & the 2011 Pan American Games. As a young badminton player of the club SCVU in Suriname Virgil Soeroredjo won numerous juniors titles and was soon selected to represent his country abroad winning several juniors medals at Caribbean, Central American and South American events. Much of his success was with his doubles partner Mitchel Wongsodikromo.
Conchita Leeflang
Conchita Leeflang is a Surinamese-American actress, model and singer.
Stanley Menzo
Stanley Purl Menzo is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and worked as a manager of Ajax Cape Town in the South African Premier Soccer League. He is the manager of the reserve team of Beijing Sinobo Guoan in China.
Cynthia McLeod
Cynthia Henri McLeod is a Surinamese novelist known for her historic novels and whose debut novel instantly made her one of the most prominent authors of Suriname.
Jiwansingh Sheombar
The December murders were the murders on 7, 8, and 9 December 1982, of fifteen prominent young Surinamese men who had criticized the military dictatorship then ruling Suriname. Thirteen of these men were arrested on December 7 between 2 am and 5 am while sleeping in their homes. The other two were Surendre Rambocus and Jiwansingh Sheombar who were already imprisoned for attempting a counter-coup in March 1982. Soldiers of Dési Bouterse, the then dictator of Suriname, took them to Fort Zeelandia, where they were heard as 'suspects in a trial' by Bouterse and other sergeants in a self-appointed court. After these 'hearings' they were tortured and shot dead. The circumstances have not yet become completely clear; on December 10, 1982, Bouterse claimed on national television that all of the detainees had been shot dead 'in an attempt to flee'.
Kathleen Ferrier
Kathleen Gertrud Ferrier is a former Dutch politician of Surinamese descent and development aid worker. She served as a member of parliament of Netherlands representing the party Christian Democratic Appeal from 2002 to 2012.
Jules Wijdenbosch
Jules Albert Wijdenbosch is a Surinamese politician who was President of Suriname from 1996 to 2000. He was a member of the National Democratic Party, which held absolute power in Suriname during the 1980s. He was Prime Minister from April 1987 until January 1988, Vice President from January 1991 until September 1991, and President from September 1996 until August 2000. He is now the leader of Democratic National Platform 2000. The Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge, which connects the East of the country with Paramaribo, has been named after Wijdenbosch.