Dad warned me of the ‘jaguarman’ curse but I didn’t listen

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The son of a deliberately single Dutch mother and an absent Surinamese father, Dutch author Raoul de Jong is known for his honest and funny writing. Just before his 28th birthday he received an email from his father wanting to meet. Intriguingly, his father told him about a family curse: one of his ancestors could transform himself into a jaguar - this enslaved African forefather practised Winti, an Afro-Surinamese traditional religion. Raoul's father, a devout Christian, warned him to stay away but gripped by the mystery, Raoul flew to Suriname in South America, to understand his father's country and seek out the mythical jaguarman. While exploring the brutal history of slavery and colonialism in the country, his search for the jaguarman brought him solace and shone a light in this dark story. He discovered that for his enslaved and indigenous ancestors, the jaguar spirit embodied strength and respect for nature. Raoul wrote a book, Jaguarman, about his time in Suriname - but he only found a clue to his ancestor's real identity much later, in a village in Ghana. Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Vibeke Venema Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707 (Photo: In this black-and-white photograph Raoul de Jong, with curly hair and a moustache and wearing a black suit and white shirt, looks at the camera. He is kneeling down, chin on his arms, leaning against the arm of a black leather chair in which his father sits. His father, also in a smart suit and white shirt, is bald and wears glasses and looks straight ahead, into the distance. Credit: Kaine Harrys)