Not only, was it a new and very interesting experience for us, but an incredibly fascinating and enduring one as well.
Personally, coming from a completely different cultural back-ground, I had never expected that I would in fact, really and truthfully love the music, dance and especially the many examples of symbolism.
I fully understand and agree that, you the Indian people, should be extremely proud and protective of your culture, which is so rich and steeped in a very old history, tradition and values.
Our respect goes out to all other ethnic groups on our island as well.
At the same time, as I shared with my dear friend Damu, after the event, this absolutely wonderful and magnificent performance, which I thorougly enjoyed, only reinforced even more our legitimate cause as a grass-people St. Martin organization.
That is the right as native-indigenous St. Martin people to also respect, love and protect our own culture, our own norms and values our own ancestry as well, especially in our home-land.
In addition, others should also be fair to recognize our right to fight as well for the preservation, protection and promotion of our own cultural-identity and rights as natives on this island.
Our ancestry should remain the foremost important, logical and stable 'base' and 'foundation', on which others can build, contribute and over time blend into a new dynamic, harmonious St. Martin nation.
It is clear that every sustainable process, including the nation building or constitutional process requires such a 'foundation' or a 'base' and that such can only be found in the full recognition of the country's 'first' citizens, host.
These are the people, still 'alive', with the deepest and most profound, historical, social, cultural, anthropological 'connection' with this land.
The recognition of those, whose ancestral presence precipitates that of the 'newcomers' and whose ancestors were the ones who shed 'blood, sweat and tears' for this country to be able to start the process of emancipation, and what is generally considered the development of the country.
We can not believe that there can be any genuine, legitimate admiration and support for the culture of others, while denying same to those who are rooted here and who welcomed all the others.
That will be an act of in-gratitude with the probable intent to eventually replace the natives.
Once more, my good friend Damu, thanks so very much.
It was truly an honor having being invited and treated with all egards for someone whose record are well established for publicly speaking out, writing in protection of his own native-indigenous St. Martin culture, and doing such regardless of time and venue with pride and without any apologies.
It is testament to your understanding of what is necessary to create 'balance' in this country.
We remain open to continue our constructive relationship with the Indian and other all communities on the island, in the process of building the St. Martin nation, once they are willing to accept our historical and fundamental ancestral rights as native-indigenous St. Martin people.
More than ever, it is becoming evident that the 'key' to moving this country forward in a constructive, dynamic, harmonious and stable manner constitutionally, or otherwise, is NOT politics nor 'Dutch' or 'French' nationality; these are in essence, rather 'divisive' by nature.
The 'key', is the full and official recognitionof the role of the native-indigenous people of this island, who have blood-relatives, succession land and similar norms and values everywhere on this island, North, East, South, West, from every hill-top, to every shore etc.
Without recognizing and using this 'key', the constructive potential of the 'ethnic diversity will become socially divisive and destructive.
It is our commitment to prevent such at all cause and therefore we are prepared to continue making ourselves availaible to finding a equitable balance and partnership between all relevant stakeholders within our St. Martin community.
--
Leopold James
President SNBF & L'Esprit de Concordia
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