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GREAT BAY, St. Martin – The Independence for St. Martin Foundation will be organizing an international conference here under the theme, "The last colonies in the Caribbean," from March 6 – 8, 2015.
Invitations have been sent to individual scholars and organizations in the region engaged in the decolonization of the remaining territories in the region, and according to ISM Foundation President, Jose Lake Jr., the response has been "quite encouraging so far."
The aim of the conference, he explained, is to bring together those in St. Martin with others in the other remaining colonies in the Caribbean who believe in the goal of political independence for their territories, especially in view of the fact that the United Nations has set 2020 as the target date for all colonies to achieve sovereignty.
Among those who will be making presentations at the conference is Dr. Carlyle Corbin, a renowned expert on governance and decolonization. Dr. Corbin recently observed the referendum held in St. Eustatius.
Some of the presentations at the conference will be considered for publication by St. Martin's House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP), which has been working on a volume on the topic for some time now.
Jose Lake Jr., author of the seminal work, "The Republic of St. Martin," also published by HNP, said the conference is long overdue, given that "we're only five years away from the 2020 deadline set by the United Nations."
Coordinating the conference is Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, who stressed that the conference is open to the general public. "The opening is set for March 6, at the Cultural and Community Center on Backstreet while the conference proper will be held at the University of St. Martin on March 7," she said. "Participants, especially those from abroad, will be able to return to their respective territories on March 8."
