This is art.

This is art. This is Marcus, aka Bap. The local artist. Biondi Pikientio’s uncle.

In the middle of the Amazon, next to the Saramaccan village of Goddo, you’ll find his workshop. No shopping street. No showroom. No tourists. Just jungle.

Here, he handcrafts wooden bowls, sculptures and necklaces. His work is sold through shops in Paramaribo and eventually finds its way to the rest of the world.

Normally, nobody buys directly from him here. That’s not really possible, because an official certificate first has to be arranged in the city.

But we were lucky.

I walked into his workshop. He was there. That alone is special, because usually he is somewhere in the forest working.

I asked if he would make a wooden sculpture for me. He will, and he’ll send it later, including the certificate. But he was able to make necklaces right away. As a rare exception, we were allowed to buy them directly from him.

He immediately got to work.

That same evening, we picked them up. By a campfire. In the dark. In the middle of the jungle.

Marcus is Rastafari. That is not just a lifestyle, but a religious movement in which Haile Selassie I is seen as a central spiritual figure. He lives completely in harmony with nature. He sleeps in a hammock. No walls. No windows. Just by the riverbank.

He is the artist here. Known throughout Suriname for his woodcarving.

Entrepreneurship like I will probably never see again.

No marketing agency.
No webshop.
No ads.

Just craftsmanship, patience and a reputation so strong that his work travels across the world.

Check his smile.

That says everything.

Watch the video here!