Suriname is the only Dutch-speaking country in South America. The former Dutch Guiana, it lies between French Guiana and Guyana on the continent’s northeast coast, and gained full independance in 1975. If the country’s police band seems an unlikely subject for a photobook, it is only because outsiders do not appreciate the social and political place of the band in the fabric of Surinamese society. It provides music for both official state and private events, and is considered an important part of the cultural scene in a country that has so recently attained an independant sense of identity.