A traditional Surinamese costume is the kotomisi. This kotomisi, lady in koto (skirt) and jaki (jacket), is only complete if she is wearing a beautiful starched and folded angisa (headscarf) on her head. Through folding techniques, you will learn to make a beautiful angisa.

The history of angisa is a story in itself; it is not just headgear. In this workshop, you will see how an angisa is created step by step. We show the preparatory work by bringing a sewing machine and demonstrating how the angisa is cut, edged, scalloped and decorated. We can also show how the starch is made and used and leave that cloth hanging there to dry.

You will be taken by the hand to master the folding technique, and, in conclusion, you get to choose a starched cloth to fold a matching angisa with. The special thing is that we only need our own hands and a few sturdy pins for this. At the end, you will go home with a beautiful ‘Let them talk’ angisa.

About the workshop facilitators
Patricia was born and raised in the Netherlands to Surinamese parents. ‘I have always had a curiosity about my roots. That started with a talk about Suriname, through singing in a Surinamese choir, to making my own koto with angisa. And now propagating this cultural heritage so that it is not lost.’

Jane came to the Netherlands in the early 1970s and, out of curiosity about her roots, ended up in the world of kotomisis where she saw and learned a lot. She started working with kotomisis in the Netherlands. It began with making hats with a Surinamese touch to indeed giving the angisa her appreciation and sharing her knowledge and thus also propagating the culture.