Bitagron

Place in Sipaliwini District, Suriname

Witagron (or Bitagron) is a Kwinti village in Suriname on the Coppename River at the crossing of the Southern East-West Link from Paramaribo to Apoera in West-Suriname.^[1]

In the local language Bitagron means 'Land of my forefathers'.^[2] Witagron is the residence of the Kwinti granman.^[3]

History

Bailey bridge over the Coppename river at Witagron

In 1975-76 a Bailey bridge was built across the river to replace the pontoon ferry.

In 1987, during the Surinamese Interior War, Witagron was partially destroyed.^[3] After the war, the village was rebuilt by the Stichting Wederopbouw Witagron with aid from the United Nations Development Program. The village is on an important location, because it is the gateway to Central Suriname Nature Reserve, and near the Raleigh Falls which are a major tourist attraction.^[4]

Healthcare

Witagron is home to a Medische Zending healthcare centre.^[5]

Notes

1. Migge & Léglise 2013, p. 83.
2. "Beschrijving Zuid Oost-West verbinding" (PDF). Planning Office Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 May 2020.
3. Scholtens 1994, p. 126.
4. "Gemiste kansen van een dorp". Parbode (in Dutch). 19 December 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
5. "Zorggebied". Medische Zending.sr (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

References

• Migge, Bettina; Léglise, Isabelle (2013). Exploring Language in a Multilingual Context: Variation, Interaction and Ideology in Language Documentation. New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Scholtens, Ben (1994). Bosneger en overheid in Suriname. Radboud University Nijmegen (Thesis) (in Dutch). Paramaribo: Afdeling Cultuurstudies/Minov. ISBN 9991410155.

5°10′N 56°06′W / 5.167°N 56.100°W / 5.167; -56.100