With all the respect to both businessmen from the French community, one of them I dearly consider, there are times in life when you cannot sit back and leave things happen. I would like to give my deep feelings, which I believe will be shared by all true Saint Martiners about the picture of this legendary statuette in the newspaper, July 23.
It is high time, I believe, that this country and its people stop the exploitation by all sorts of ironic and out of disregard individuals who just get up one day and decide that they are the ones to create an emblem or a landmark for this country Saint Martin. Yes, I must admit it could be a very striking idea to be able to sell a souvenir statuette or picture that the tourists can take back home with them.
My question is however: What has happened to all our emblems and landmarks or cultural items that we have met and grown up with? Just to cite a few such as the Frontier monument, the Pelican, the sail boat, the flamboyant tree, the Fort, the Panum dancers, the coal pot, the fish pot, the Arawak potteries and many more ?
Why is it that we must have a coconut tree standing between two “athletes,” one black, one with long hair running from the island back to back? If according to the title, it is depicting the so-called legend, it should have been two European soldiers representing the Frenchman and the Dutchman!
Can anyone tell me what was the purpose of choosing this particular legend? How can anyone compare this so-called statuette to the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty? Both of them are landmarks and monuments. They are not legendary! They are part of the History of France and the USA! What is so tropical about this legendary statuette? Is it the coconut tree? How exotic the cliché!
A few months ago, a new logo was created for the Collectivity! What was wrong with the old one? Is the New Collectivity such a great change for us the people? Instead, we have gotten a blue and green question mark telling us that we don’t know where we are heading in this country. Come on, Leaders, isn’t there anything more important than logos and emblems?
By the way, is there a Department of Culture or committee to take care of these subjects or is it the task of some hungry individuals wanting to rake and scrape every cent out of our country? This little island called Saint Martin has attracted so many sharks that we don’t have the means right now to get rid of them! You just have to observe the entourage of the Collectivity representatives and you will realize that everything was put in place to destroy the Saint Martin people! The master plan started in 1977 and is almost completed through the re-colonization of this land!
Why aren’t our cultural personalities and artists be consulted in such projects may they be private or public? After all, it concerns our country and its image! Who is responsible for the Cultural portfolio in the Collectivity? Perhaps he or she is not aware that Saint Martin has indeed a Culture and traditions!
As stated by our Senator on 14 July, we are a minority in our own country! However, whose fault is it? It is time our children and grandchildren be told the real history of the last three decades. It is our duty to tell our children what happened to us the Saint Martiners! It is time for We the older heads to tell them how it happen!
It was not solely the French Government that created this disaster! It was done with the help of Saint martiners for the sole purpose of power and revenge. So today they are responsible and accountable for the situation of us being minority in our land! They were used by the powers of outsiders to conquer and rule! Now they have come to possess our patrimony with once again the help of natives, what can we say now?
The master plan has to be carried out! We have reached the point where a saint martiner cannot call himself a saint martiner without being stamped as a racist! We are a people without a homeland! What’s next for us? No more beaches, no more land, what’s left for our children?
MAY GOD SAVE THIS COUNTRY ! Aline CHOISY, a saint- martiner