Dr. Rhoda Arrindell talks in front of the Unity Flag billboard unveiled in Belle Plaine, French Quarter, on Sunday.
MARIGOT--The thirtieth anniversary of the Unity Flag was celebrated on Sunday with ceremonies at the Belle Plaine and Bellevue borders. Originally planned for St. Martin Day, the event organised by the collective Soualiga United had been postponed due to the inclement weather.
A late start in Belle Plaine meant the programme had to be shortened slightly to be on time for the second ceremony at the Bellevue border at 4:00pm. The full programme featured songs, dance, poetry, drumming and speeches by well-known personalities at the forefront of culture.
The ceremony was opened in Belle Plaine by Soualiga United co-founder Agnes Alexander who called the flag one of the “most important symbols of St. Martin”. Earlier, Pastor Wycliffe Smith in his opening prayer emphasised the “one island, one people, one destiny” slogan.
In his introduction Lenny Mussington said, “In this flag we have the essence of unity,” and, alluding to the massive show of unity on September 16, added, “We must kill the seed of division,” sending a message to the successor of the State representative in St. Martin that never again will there be an attempt to divide the people.
Shujah Reiph and Dr. Rhoda Arrindell gave interesting insight into the forming of the committee and persons involved that led to the launch of the Unity Flag on August 31, 1990.
Reiph revealed the flag did not always stay in St. Martin and once had travelled to Australia with a delegation that was attending a conference there, and it also ended up on the wall of a slave house on an island in West Africa where the ancestors were held before they were transported by ship to St. Martin. And in 2000 the flag went to the Olympics in Australia with athlete Florencia Hunt.
The main purpose of the event was to unveil a large billboard of the Unity Flag at each location. The billboards give an explanation of the symbols and colours contained in the flag design: yellow for sunshine, green for the land, light blue for the sky and medium blue for the sea.
The flag was raised and the billboard unveiled by Sharon Richardson and her son Rosario Richardson.
Poems were recited by Lucinda La Rich Audain (“This is for SXM”), Faiszah Tabasamu (“The rain spoke to me”), “Soualiga” and “We’s Own” by Raymond “Big Ray” Helligar, “One St. Martin” written by Ruby Bute and recited by Clara Reyes, “Our Flag” by Iola Choisy, and “When I think of St. Martin” by Melissa Fleming.
Jacqueline Godet sang the St. Martin Song. Clara Reyes sang the “Unity Song” and Lino Hughes’ “St. Martin is my home”. Shanellea Romney-James performed “One little island”. Gwoka drumming segments were performed by Hellier Coquillas.
The programme closed with the release of 30 pigeons.
