30-04-2026

The 16th Silvia de Groot Fund research grant was awarded to Danick Trouwloon for her research on Curaçao and the wider Caribbean and Ine Apapoe for her research on Suriname. The aim of the fund is to financially support young Caribbean students or researchers with their research on Caribbean history or culture.

Dr. Silvia W. de Groot Fund

The late Dr. Silvia W. de Groot, historian and lifetime honorary member of the Members Association / Vereniging KITLV left a legacy to KITLV with the aim of financially supporting young Caribbean students or researchers, preferably of Maroon descent, with their research on Caribbean history or culture. An annual amount of € 10,000 is available to be spread over one or several applicants.

The Silvia de Groot Fund (SdG Fund) is managed by the Vereniging KITLV.

Winners 16th SdG Fund grant

The winners of the 16th SdG research grant are Danick Trouwloon and Ine Apapoe. Danicke received a grant of € 2000 for the publication and dissemination of a zine titled Synthesizing Silences Between Wor(l)ds. Ine received a grant of € 8000 for her research on female leadership in Maroon societies in Suriname.

Danick Trouwloon
Synthesizing Silences Between Wor(l)ds

The SdG Fund supports the publication and dissemination of a zine titled Synthesizing Silences Between Wor(l)ds, which was co-produced during a 3-day art-science retreat by a diverse group of inspiring early career Caribbean research professionals. The zine reflects the questions asked during the retreat, exploring what separates and connects us in Caribbean research. What does it mean to have our umbilical cords buried here, while the roots and routes that tie us to the Caribbean remain in flux? What does it mean to be native or introduced, invasive or exiled? And who gets to decide? It dreams of new research relationships within the Caribbean by imagining new roles for ourselves, for research, and for education. Moving from anxieties through salt scars to healing, it finds hope in a Caribbean of mangroves – belonging neither to the ocean nor the land – but to both. 
 
The retreat took place on Curaçao in the summer of 2025, and was co-organized with Alexine Gabriela, Janneke den Dekker-Arlain, and dr. Tatiana Acevedo Guerrero. The retreat was funded through the SEALINK project (project number NWOCA.2019.003) of the research program 'Caribbean Research: a Multidisciplinary Approach', which is financed by the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

Danick Trouwloon is a PhD candidate at Utrecht University with the SEALINK project, a zinester, and a community organizer. Born and raised on Curaçao, her research focuses on how science and art can contribute to sustainable development on Curaçao and in the wider Caribbean. She is a member of the 6 ISLANDS Zine and the Islands and Oceans Imaginaries Collectives and supports in Caribbean Knowledge Coordination at the Dutch Climate Research Initiative (KIN).

Ine Apapoe
Female leadership in Maroon societies in Suriname

Female leadership within Maroon societies is a relatively new and underexplored field of research that can provide important insights into the changing role of women in traditional communities. Until 2004, formal leadership roles within these societies were almost exclusively reserved for men. The appointment of female captains since 2004 marks a significant shift in traditional power structures. Although this development formally appears to be a step toward gender equality, it remains unclear whether female captains actually have and exercise influence within governance and decision-making processes in their respective communities. This raises the question whether these appointments lead to structural changes in decision-making, governance, and the social status and recognition of female captains, or whether the role is largely symbolic.

A systematic study of female leadership in Maroon societies is of great importance, not only for the academic understanding of leadership and gender relations in tribal societies, but also for the development of policies aimed at inclusive governance. Moreover, this research contributes to the broader discussion about the opportunities for women to create space for participation and agency within traditional systems. By giving female leaders a voice and examining their roles, challenges, and societal positions, this research offers a unique perspective on social change from within. To place this social change in context, male leaders are also interviewed to provide their perspectives on the appointment of female leaders. This research contributes, among other things, to drawing a clearer picture of female leadership in traditional societies.

Ine Apapoe is based in Paramaribo, Suriname. Since 2010, she has been a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Anton de Kom University. In 2024, she obtained her PhD from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam after completing her dissertation: Governing Apart Together: The Structure, Process and Quality of Modern, Traditional and Dual Governance in Suriname, with Special Reference to the Ndyuka Maroons.