In a prestigious ceremony at the French Ambassador’s residence in Suriname, celebrated author Cynthia Mc Leod-Ferrier was decorated with France’s highest national honor—the Légion d’Honneur. French Ambassador Nicolas de Lacoste presented the distinction on behalf of President Emmanuel Macron, recognizing Mc Leod’s exceptional contributions to literature and historical preservation.
Ambassador de Lacoste highlighted Mc Leod’s ‘unwavering dedication to history and intergenerational memory transmission, even when confronting dark and painful historical chapters.’ The author accepted the honor with profound gratitude, acknowledging both her personal achievement and its significance for Surinamese cultural identity. ‘This recognition extends beyond me to the entire Surinamese community and the students who encouraged me to document our past,’ Mc Leod stated during her acceptance speech.
The ceremony, attended by family and close associates, celebrated Mc Leod’s four-decade literary career that began with her groundbreaking 1987 debut novel ‘Hoe duur was de suiker?’ (‘The Cost of Sugar’). This historical work, later adapted into a film in 2013, remains her most influential publication both within Suriname and internationally.
De Lacoste particularly praised Mc Leod’s pioneering archival research, especially her work on Elisabeth Samson—an eighteenth-century free Black woman who married a white man. ‘No one before you had undertaken such exhaustive research in the archives of former colonial powers,’ the ambassador remarked, noting the ‘astonishing discoveries’ resulting from her meticulous work.
Beyond her literary accomplishments, Mc Leod was recognized for her community engagement. She has invested book royalties into the Sweet Merodia boat tours, educating youth about Surinamese history through river expeditions. Her philanthropic efforts have also provided school meals for children and support for cancer patients and their families.
The author drew historical parallels between French influence in Suriname dating back to colonial times—when Huguenots owned more than half of the plantations—and contemporary French investment through TotalEnergies’ offshore oil production. She expressed hope that current economic development would ‘more justly benefit the entire Surinamese community compared to the plantation economy centuries.’
Established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, the Légion d’Honneur represents France’s highest recognition of exceptional service. Mc Leod now joins an exclusive group of Surinamese citizens who have received this prestigious decoration.
