Dear Editor,
We are a country with a serious identity crisis. Why? Because consecutive governments have failed to codify our culture, infuse our education systems with local history, protect our natural and tangible heritage and build a National Archives. And we the people are also failing to demand that these things be done.
It’s actually surreal how we continue to have the same debates, the same arguments and feelings of frustration and anger, decade after decade, the same question: “Who are we; where are we going?”
In these extremely challenging times, with what feels like the walls crumbling down around us, St. Maarten, as a nation, needs to look itself in the mirror. We, the people, need to face who we truly have become and be radically honest about the laissez-faire attitudes and bad decisions that led us here. We also need to ask ourselves if we have the courage to envision and then go after what is necessary to take us forward.
There is this crazy sense of urgency in our current political and social landscape to right all the wrongs perpetuated over the years because we don’t recognize ourselves anymore. There’s so much toxicity and negativity in the air – and if we keep saying St. Maarten is not a real place; it won’t ever be!
So why do we need to codify our culture and how will it help us to remember who we are? Firstly, culture encompasses our values, beliefs as well as our language, food, music and dance. There are two main lenses through which we should view our culture: the traditional, the way our grandparents and forefathers lived on the island; and the contemporary, the way we live now.
When we analyze these very different times and different circumstances, we will see some values and beliefs that we recognize and those that we don’t … anymore. When did we stop being friendly? When did we start being individualistic and capitalist? How can we rekindle the traditions we lost? Is it too late to become better versions of ourselves?
In one simple regard, we continue to debate who we are because there is still a lack of regulation regarding some of our most important cultural symbols. What food did our forefathers eat the most and should we regulate that as our national dish moving forward?
We can see from historic photos that our ancestors, especially those who were enslaved and picked salt, wore white. This was traditional wear. Nowadays the SMaatn National Cultural Parade successfully showcases the beauty of flower print and fabric, a lovely representation of who I believe we are now, bright, diverse, dramatic. Shouldn’t we regulate our national costume?
Who are we telling our young people they should be? What are the values that they should hold or the behaviors they should imitate and where can they find this information regularly? It reminds me of the Disney movie Moana and Moana’s journey to discover her ancestor’s story while learning about her own power in order to lead her people into the future.
Once we begin codifying our culture through the creation of effective cultural guides, policies and regulations, rooted in nation building principles and produced in a systematic and sustainable way, we automatically shift the identity discussion from crisis to clarity. This is imperative because when people feel like they’ve been knocked down, like many of us feel now, the clear, powerful symbolism and reminder that comes from knowing exactly who you are is what will make the difference in getting back up, with confidence.
While picking up some packages at a local shipping company, the other day, my hands were full. A young man, who was also picking up packages, saw me thinking intently about how I would have to make two trips to the car. He said, “Miss, where is your car? Let’s go, I will bring them for you!” I thanked him and said aloud, “You see! We are still a friendly and caring people!”
Solange Ludmila Duncan
