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CUL DE SAC--St. Maarten's families, dignitaries and artistes gathered for the main Emancipation Day Celebration and Cultural Manifestation, celebrating 152 years since the emancipation proclamation, under the theme “Emancipation from Within-The Voice of Our People†at Emilio Wilson Park on Wednesday, July 1.
The day’s commemorations and celebrations started with an Ecumenical Service at St. Martin of Tours Roman Catholic Church and two Symbolic Wreath Laying Ceremonies by the country’s leaders at the One Tete Lohkay and Freedom Fighters monuments.
The Emilio Wilson Park was open to the public from early afternoon where families gathered, some attendees in cultural wear, to enjoy music, food, drinks and play for the children. The official programme kicked off upon the arrival of the Cultural Parade which started at Marigot Hill and lead through St. Peters.
This was the fourth year that the celebrations were organised by the Victory Over Justice Consciously Eliminating Silence (VOICES) Foundation, and the second year that it was organised in collaboration with Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs.
A new feature this year was a heartfelt theatrical presentation including song, poetry and dance by current Culture Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs and former Culture Ministers Silveria Jacobs, Patricia Lourens and Rhoda Arrindell, following Bourne-Gumbs’ speech focused on the resiliency of the enslaved and them not letting adversity define them.
They were introduced in song by co-founder of National Institute of Arts (NIA) Clara Reyes.
Before speeches commenced, VOICES President and Founder Nkosazana Illis laid flowers at the statue of the late Emilio Wilson, joined by Governor Eugene Holiday, Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and Minister Bourne-Gumbs.
The four delivered speeches, highlighting the legacy and resiliency of the ancestors, while also focusing on the future. “You and I have come a long way, but you and I are going to beautiful places,†Illis said in the opening speech. “We have to continue building on the legacy together, while remembering our ancestors.â€
In his speech “The Voice of our Emancipators, A Higher Calling,†Governor Eugene Holiday said that the 1863 Emancipation Day “marked the triumph of the indomitable will of the enslaved men and women of St. Maarten to be free.
“It is therefore my HOPE that every Emancipation Day will be celebrated as the day when the people of St. Maarten officially became one people, because it marked the triumph of humanity on St. Maarten, a triumph of humanity which must be cherished and preserved by all with the same vigour and unrelenting courage as our forefathers.â€
“The voice of emancipation rang loud in the hearts and souls of our forefathers because they knew that their imposed circumstance was no reflection of who they were and what they could be.â€
Prime Minister Gumbs called both the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and the “joint realisation that slavery is a crime against our humanity,†historic moments that connect the Kingdom partners.
“One of the commonalities between the end of slavery and the new status [10-10-10] for St. Maarten is that both were born out of the calls from the people on this island to be liberated, to be free, not to have others speak for them, to be able to chart our own destiny,†he added.
Worth celebrating, he said, is that more and more, St. Maarten’s voice is being heard in forums such as the Kingdom Conference and the Inter-parliamentary Consultation of the Kingdom.
Honing in on present day constraints such as seeing people in a state of reliance and subsistence, he said that “This government wants people to be free in every aspect. That is why we remain committed to projects like the National Development Plan and to the creation of a new Economic Plan.â€
Several people doing "a fantastic job" in the community with their voice were honoured: Glenmore “Mr. Cool†Romney, Glenfield Gipson, Oral Gibbes, Fabian Badejo, Samuel Allen Junior, Wendell Moore, Cedric James, Patricio “Patou†Piper, Lloyd Richardson, Valerie van Putten, Roberto Wilson of Mama’s Pearl, Master D and Lady Grace.
A special tribute was made to the late Erika Cannegieter-Smith, who had been a VOICES member.
The event continued with various performances and presentations which included music, dance, acting, a drum show, and a fashion show.
Acting Governor Reynold Groeneveldt, Governor Holiday’s wife Marie Louise Holiday and various Members of Parliament took part in the day’s commemorations, including Sarah-Wescot Williams who was also present for the Manifestation. Many known artistes were also present, as were this year’s various Carnival queens and runners-up.
