On April 16, 2026, the global energy community and Surinamese literary world lost one of their most distinguished figures: Albert Wilhelm David Adama, who passed away in Leidschendam, the Netherlands, at the age of 88. Born in Paramaribo, Suriname, in February 1938, Adama built a remarkable multi-faceted career spanning energy expertise, academic research, consulting and literature, leaving indelible marks on both his professional fields and Surinamese cultural life.
This tribute, written by his close friend Carlo Jadnanansing, traces Adama’s life journey from his early years in the Caribbean to his decades of global work. Adama spent part of his childhood in Curaçao before returning to Suriname, and after completing his secondary education, he moved to the Netherlands to pursue higher studies, graduating with distinction from Delft University of Technology. He later continued his academic career in the United States, earning his PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he developed deep specialized expertise in the energy sector, with a particular focus on oil and gas. Over the course of his career, he supplemented his professional knowledge with postgraduate training in management, organizational studies, information technology and nuclear energy technology at leading institutions in Brussels, Paris, London and across the United States.
Adama’s professional career took him across continents. From 1967 to 1968, he worked in Nigeria and served as a professor at the University of Nsukka. In 1981, he established himself as an independent consultant specializing in energy, information technology and related fields, advising governments and industry stakeholders across the globe. He remained active in his native Suriname well into his later years, contributing his expertise as a consultant to key national energy projects: he co-authored Suriname’s new Electricity Act, helped establish the Energy Authority Suriname, and drafted the terms of reference for the country’s national energy sector plan. He also maintained a steady output of academic and public writing, with his last published article on the development of Suriname’s Gran Morgu oil field and national welfare fund appearing on Starnieuws as recently as October 2024.
Beyond his professional achievements in energy, Adama was a gifted writer, poet and cultural scholar whose literary work has enriched Surinamese literature. In 2019, he published his memoir-novel *En toen was het even stil* (And Then There Was Silence for a Moment), which chronicled his life experiences and encounters with notable figures around the world, establishing his reputation as a serious literary voice. One of his most acclaimed short stories, *Blaka Perka (Black Pearl)*, set in Suriname, centers on the theme of human impermanence, showcasing his elegant prose and thoughtful perspective. He was also a deeply knowledgeable scholar of Afro-Surinamese culture, fluent in the Sranan language, a skill he retained even after spending most of his life outside Suriname. His poetry, often written in Sranan, blends his cultural roots with his personal spiritual and philosophical outlook, which was shaped by a freethinking approach to life that combined his Christian upbringing with a nuanced, open-ended spirituality.
Jadnanansing first met Adama decades ago at the De Waterkant society in The Hague, where Adama was a prominent member and a key organizer of lectures, cultural and academic events. What struck Jadnanansing from their first encounter was Adama’s warm, approachable demeanor, his genuine smile and his considerate way of interacting with everyone he met. Their close friendship deepened in the early 2000s through their shared involvement with the Het Park outdoor society in the Netherlands, where Adama was a regular guest when he was not staying in Suriname. A self-identified cosmopolitan, Adama felt equally at home in France, across Africa and in Europe, having worked in nearly every region of the world over his long career.
In closing his tribute, Jadnanansing reflected on Adama’s life: Adama lived exactly as he wanted, surrounding himself with interesting, impactful people, and made fundamental contributions to energy development across many nations, including his beloved native Suriname. “Moge jouw ziel de eeuwige vrede ten deel vallen,” he wrote — May your soul find eternal peace.