PHILIPSBURG:--- In its 10th year of existence, the Dutch Caribbean Heritage Platform held its 4th conference, with this year’s theme of “Awareness.” The biannual conference was held on Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius from May 5 to May 9.
Present at the conference were participants from the BES islands and the rest of the Dutch Caribbean (Sint Maarten, Curacao, and Aruba), including participants from Anguilla.
The DCH platform was founded to strengthen cooperation among the Dutch Caribbean islands, exchange knowledge, network, and learn and share information, practices, and activities—with the support of ErfgoedAcademie, a Dutch institute for heritage education founded in 1986.
The Department of Communication (DCOMM) Documentalist Lee Williams attended the conference on Sunday evening. The conference opened with a soft opening, during which Acting Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sports Lyndon Lewis gave a short opening remark. Afterward, Jay Haviser presented on archaeology in St Maarten.
On Monday morning, Governor of Sint Maarten Ajamu G. Baly gave a brief address before the attendees went on a scavenger hunt to discover the different historical and cultural sites.
On Tuesday, participants were on Saba, and on Wednesday, St. Eustatius.
On Thursday morning, the participants, visitors, and guests returned to St. Maarten. They attended the concluding part with a webinar with John Leerdam and Peggy Brandon, two of three Quartermasters for the slavery museum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Afterwards, through web conference, there were productive discussions and exchanges of thoughts, ideas, and suggestions.
In the afternoon, the Head of the Archivo Nacional Aruba Mr. Raymond Hernandez presented DCOMM’s documentalist Williams with a memory stick with digitalized archives of that had relevant information to St. Maarten. For further information visit nationaalarchief.nl and coleccion.aw.
Williams said that the conference was very positive and productive, resulting in the preservation of DCOMM’s archive for the future generation.
