PHILIPSBURG:--- It was exactly a Cultural Manifestation on Wednesday, July, 1 at the Emancipation day celebrations which started Tuesday evening with the run to freedom at Diamond Hill Estate. A re-enactment of slaves running from the Dutch side of the island towards the French border while being chased by slave masters. It was an emotional evening, poetry and encouraging words portrayed by several speakers.
A cultural Parade started at 2:30pm at the start of Marigot Hill and made its way throughout Sint Peters. Residents were woken up by the drums of drum bands marching to the Emilio Wilson Park. Carnival Queen Contestants and Minister of Culture Rita Bourne Gumbs headed the parade chipping and smiling the entire time. Dressed in African frolic wear, the participants made a spectacle of the parade.
At the Emilio Wilson Park, food tents and vendors sold their goodies to the reasonable crowd in the park. The attendance was not to full capacity however the atmosphere was reasonable. The definite highlight of the day was a dance performed by Minister Rita Bourne Gumbs and former ministers Patricia Lourens, Rhoda Arrindell and Silveria Jacobs.
Governor Eugene Holiday, Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and Minister of Culture Rita Bourne Gumbs and President of the Voices Foundation Esther Illis paid their respects to Emilio Wilson at his statue situated in the Park.
Minister Bourne said that the dance is a tribute to the ancestors of the country. 11 voices were honored by the culture department and Voices foundation who organized the manifestation. The persons are recognized for their personalities on Radio. SMN news brings you the official speeches by Governor Eugene Holiday, Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and Minister of Culture Rita Bourne Gumbs.
Click here to view photos of the 2015 Emancipation Day Celebration.
Prime Minister Gumbs Emancipation Day Message
PHILIPSBURG – Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs delivered the following Emancipation Day Message at the Emilio Wilson Park on Wednesday, July 1 as part of the national observances for Emancipation Day.
“We come together today to celebrate freedom; freedom from the oppressive system that saw people robbed of their homeland, their family, their dignity, and in extreme cases their lives. The Trans-Atlantic slave trade is a historic event that binds St. Maarten together with all its Kingdom partners.
“The joint realization that slavery is a crime against our humanity is another historic moment that binds us together. It is that latter fact that should drive us in this modern age. That is the way for us to give life to this year’s theme: “Emancipation from within; the voice of our people!” As government, we speak on behalf of our people, and our discussions and actions should always lead to greater freedom for our people.
“On June 23, 2000, the people of St. Maarten chose to become an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Some 10 years later on October 10, 2010, that status began a new era; a new era that I think mirrors the historic effort to end slavery. One of the commonalities between the end of slavery and the new status for St. Maarten is that both were born out of calls from the people on this island to be liberated; to be free; to not have others speak for them; to be able to chart our own destiny.
“Coming to a joint consensus that slavery is abhorrent and that we should be allowed greater autonomy are also both part of a realization in the Kingdom that we can do more if we work together, instead of for each other; that we are all better off when we work in a spirit of partnership, and not through the use of subjugation.
“This is the context in which St. Maarten continues to engage especially the Kingdom government; a context in which we directly give voice to the concerns of the people of St. Maarten. Forums such as the Kingdom Conference and the Inter-parliamentary Consultation of the Kingdom are now places where our people can directly speak to our issues. We once had the Government of Netherlands Antilles speaking on our behalf; today, we are able to do this for ourselves. We see with each meeting, more and more, that the voice of our people is being heard. That is something we should celebrate this Emancipation Day.
“But even as we celebrate the voice of our people being heard more clearly, we must also admit that there is much work to be done to emancipate our people here at home; right here within the borders of our sweet St. Maarten land. Every day, as my cabinet and I go about our duties, we see people locked in a state of reliance; we see people locked in a state of subsistence. It is our goal to emancipate them from that position.
“This government wants our 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 comprehensive Economic Plan. These two projects are important elements of our vision to make the people who live here free; to emancipate us, if you wish. We will do this by listening to the voice of the people. We will be guided by the expressed thoughts and wishes of those we are called to serve. It is government’s hope that the entire population will join us in this project of creating and maintaining emancipation for all.
“There will likely be a plethora of views expressed today about emancipation; about freedom. Some may talk about being politically free, others may speak of being financially free and some may even talk about being free of societal influences. As Prime Minister, I hope the common thread in everything shared today is that with freedom comes responsibility.
“When I look at the period after slavery, our ancestors did all they could to ensure that not only could they enjoy their freedom; they used that freedom to improve their lives. I call on each of us to do the same. I make this call because enforcing freedoms from the top down is not the correct approach. To sustain freedom we must all actively participate; we must all make the effort.”
The Voice of our Emancipators,
A Higher Calling
by His Excellency Governor E.B. Holiday
Delivered on the Occasion of the Observance of the
152th anniversary of Emancipation Day
July 1, 2015
Emilio Wilson Estate,
Sint Maarten
My Fellow Sint Maarteners,
Good Afternoon,
I hope that you are having a pleasant emancipation day; one of reflection, inspection and projection.
On this July 1st, 2015, one hundred and fifty two years since the emancipation proclamation, I am pleased, very pleased, to join you along with Marie Louise at this location to celebrate the observance of our emancipation day; one of the most important days in our history.
My fellow Sint Maarteners,
Last year I spoke to you about Sint Maarten’s Journey from Plantation to Nation, in 2013 I spoke to you about the promise of Emancipation and in 2012 I spoke to you about Emancipation, as A Triumph of Humanity to Cherish and Preserve. Today, considering the day’s theme, I will like to continue my emancipation day talk with you on this critically important day for us as a people on the topic: The Voice of our Emancipators, A Higher Calling.
Critically important because, as I stated in my 2012 emancipation day address, the July 1st, 1863 emancipation day:
“........ marked the triumph of the indomitable will of the enslaved men and women of Sint Maarten to be free. .....”
It is therefore my hope that “...........every Emancipation Day .... will be celebrated as the day when the people of Sint Maarten officially became one people. ...... because it marked the triumph of humanity on Sint Maarten ......... A triumph of humanity which must be cherished and preserved by all with the same vigor and unrelenting courage as our forefathers.”
The triumph of the first official emancipation day on July 1st, 1863 then and now is a manifestation of the voice of emancipation. The voice of our emancipators is our inner voice as individuals and as a people that calls us, challenges us to do the things we are required to do as well as to reach for the things we are capable of doing. It is simply put the voice, the higher calling that reminds us that as a people we must channel our freedom to be the best that we can be as a nation.
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. As a result they were unrelenting in their struggle to be free from the brutal system of slavery based on the difference in color of their skin. Today we stand here on the historic grounds of the former sentry plantation in remembrance of the immeasurable suffering and sacrifices of our forefathers and in celebration of their victory in heeding to their inner voice to be free people. As we reflect on the response of our forefathers to their inner voices, we must move to inspect our own situation and respond to our higher calling today.
That brings us to the question: What are the things that we like our forefathers are required to do to better the life of all Sint Maarteners? This I believe is a pertinent question because a better life for all Sint Maarteners requires that we perfect our response to our voice of emancipation.
In my 2013 talk with you I stated that, while we have made significant strides forward since 1863, we cannot afford to be complacent. And that remains true today: “Because there is, where it concerns for example combatting exploitation, in view of certain employment conditions and practices, room for perfecting the promise of freedom from exploitation. And likewise our practices in race relations too often do not match that which we profess, putting excessive strain on the realization of the emancipation promise of equality. Moreover, while Sint Maarten is known for its enormous opportunities many of our youth face challenges in education, on the labor market and on the housing market limiting their chances of sharing in the promise of opportunity.
These circumstances as well developments in our region and beyond provide ample reasons for us not to be complacent. They imply that where our forefathers fought for emancipation we must fight to defend and build on it.
These threats can only be overcome through our response to our higher calling. That is the calling that tells us in the words of Martin Luther King that: “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be.” That is to recognize our interdependence as a people. To give content to this higher calling we must accept our moral responsibility towards each other. We must move to equip our people to answer their voice of emancipation more optimally. That is, we must move to further equip our people with the tools to realize their educational and economic freedom.
Bob Marley emphasized this in his redemption song with the iconic words: “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our minds” This my fellow Sint Maarteners is necessary because freedom of the mind is the basis for all progress. To achieve that we must continue to strive for a more free and better future founded in an educated population, in better job opportunities, in a healthy society and in perfecting human relations.
My fellow Sint Maarteners,
As I stand here, it is my hope that our individual and collective reflections on the meaning of our emancipation day, will inspire each of us to respond to our higher calling. And in doing so act to provide our people with the requisite tools for a better life in keeping with the potential of emancipation. We owe this to our forefathers, ourselves, our fellow residents and future generations.
As you project on complying with your higher emancipation day calling I congratulate all of you on and wish you a most wonderful 152st Emancipation Day celebration.
Thank you, God Bless you and May God Bless Sint Maarten and Protect its coast.
