Forest93 supports Bollie de Otter

Bollie the Otter takes young and old on a journey through Suriname’s forest. In De Avonturen van Bollie de Otter (The Adventures of Bollie the Otter), Surinamese children learn to love Mama Sranan. The first book in the series came out on 15 December 2021.

Bollie the Otter is a symbol of Mother Nature. This small friend of the animals is full of courage and inspiration for Surinamese children aged 4 to 12, and takes them into his world. How does he see people and their behaviour? How does he live alongside other animals? What does he learn from them?

Social issues are covered too, such as how to treat others, how to think your way out of difficult situations and how to find your own motivation. In part 1 of the series, Bollie and his family are driven out of their safe little home. He cannot go back, and has to make new friends in a new place. Along the way he meets other animals and faces all kinds of challenges.

The author

Initiator and author Dave van Aerde wrote the story from the animals’ point of view, to hold up a mirror to society. In his words (quoted in the original Dutch):

“Ik heb gepoogd om het verhaal op deze manier te brengen om zo een spiegel voor te houden aan ons als maatschappij. Ons land is tot nu toe enorm gezegend met een relatief schoon milieu. Een schoon milieu is tegenwoordig bijna uniek in de wereld, het belang hiervan moeten wij overdragen aan onze kinderen. Al jaren probeer ik via vuilophaal en recycling de natuur schoon te maken; het is tijd dat we nu ook leren om te voorkomen dat we onze omgeving vervuilen.”

The first-time author chose the giant otter as his main character because it is an endangered species, and because giant otters have strong family bonds, are highly intelligent and use tools: skills that all return in the stories.

The aim is for Bollie to grow into an environmental platform for young people, where they learn about trees, plants and environmental management, and also carry out social projects. A percentage of sales is invested in Bollie’s social projects: replanting mangroves and fruit trees in neighbourhoods, and clean-ups with young people.

Why Forest93

Forest93 funded the development of the first two books, because it wants everyone who lives in or visits Suriname to know how special the Surinamese forest is. The campaign’s statement at the time (in the original Dutch):

“Als FOREST93 willen wij Bollie helpen om zoveel mogelijk verhalen te vertellen. Wij willen graag dat iedereen die in Suriname woont én iedereen die Suriname bezoekt, weet hoe bijzonder ons Surinaamse bos is. Wij geloven namelijk dat als wij weten hoe bijzonder dit bos is, dat wij er dan samen voor zullen zorgen dat het bos en diens bewoners voor altijd blijven bestaan. Immers, als wij goed zorgen voor de natuur, zal de natuur ook goed zorgen voor ons.”