evidence: Nowadays they’re the independent nations of Guyana and Suriname, and the French territory of Guyane (French Guiana). [...] Guyana gained its independence in 1966, Suriname in 1975, while Guyane morphed from French colony to overseas department in 1946 (and later voted against independence from France). But the die had already been cast in terms of their cultural identity and ethnic variety. [...] The Suriname-Guyane frontier lies about a two-hour drive east of Paramaribo through a region populated by the Marron people – the descendants of African slaves who escaped the Dutch plantations and fled into the jungle.