Dear Editor,
On Wednesday, February 8, the royal family will be given a tour through the historic core of Oranjestad in St. Eustatius, as can be read on the website of the royal family. During this walk the slavery past will be discussed, and a manifestation in Fort Oranje dedicated to the cultural heritage of St. Eustatius will close the day, so we read.
We all know how during royal visits everything gets polished, even the truth. That is why the St. Eustatius Afrikan Burial Ground Alliance asks the royal family to look further afield. Not to the beautiful buildings and monuments in town, not to the memorials of De Graaff, Peter Stuyvesant, the First Salute, and their ancestor Wilhelmina. But let’s look to the suffering, tears and blood of our ancestors who built the forts and those buildings, by hand, stone by stone. Let’s look to the unmarked burial grounds where the remains of our ancestors were brutally excavated and are now in a depot somewhere, put away as garbage. Let’s look to the Waterfort, in a deplorable state, where our ancestors were once piled up to be sold at the market.
And let's have a talk then about how to preserve this heritage for the Statia community and the wider Afrikan diaspora for future generations. Let the royal visit be meaningful and with lasting impact to protect our heritage, and don't be blinded by good-looking entertainment.
Kenneth Cuvalay,
President of the St. Eustatius Afrikan Burial Ground Alliance
