First meeting on how to
preserve shared heritage
PHILIPSBURG--A first meeting on how to preserve, research and celebrate the shared memories of the islands of the Netherlands Antilles will be held in St. Maarten December 15-16.
Preparation for this meeting and of an exhibition on 50 years of constitutional history is the main purpose of a visit of Gwendoline Isenia-Francisca of the National Archives (NatAr) to St. Maarten this week. She was received by Alfonso Blijden, board member of National Archaeological-Anthropological Museum (NAAM).
The meeting on researching and preserving cultural heritage is an initiative of NAAM and NatAr. The two institutions came together a little over a year ago to join forces and delineate their efforts for the coming years for the development of these areas of social science. They have hereby recognised the importance of safeguarding and stimulating research and legislation on the cultural and historical heritage of the various islands of the Netherlands Antilles.
Following up this recognition, a draft programme on cooperation on urgent research projects was developed and presented in February to the local governments and/or departments of culture and education by NAAM’s director Ieteke Witteveen, asking for moral and professional backing and complementary input on the research priorities.
“It is imperative that the national institutions have the moral and professional backing of local institutions and researchers to assure the quality of and efficiency in research and for funding by international organisations and research institutions,” Witteveen stated in a press release.
“The intended programme of preservation and research of and education about our common past (sites and sources) is an exercise that needs joint effort and is now most relevant because of the political future that may stand before us. It’s a past, an identity, that we need to cherish, preserve, research, educate and publish on.
“This identity must be recognised and, because of the relatively small sizes of our communities, it’s instrumental that we join forces in these matters of cultural and historical importance that are proven to be essentials for our overall development,” Witteveen continued.
NAAM and NatAr invite all parties concerned to participate in the setting up and execution of this intended programme. Participation is open to all local institutions on the islands engaged with cultural and historical matters. All Departments of Education and Culture, and research centres in Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Statia, St. Maarten and Aruba will be invited. The Dutch institution on the slavery past of the Kingdom NinSee has already expressed its intention to participate in this initiative.
St Maarten Apartment for vacation rental
