On January 26, Kenneth Cuvalay and Derrick Simmons of the St. Eustatius Afrikan Burial Ground Alliance (in short: Alliance), led a delegation of the UNESCO Netherlands Commission around the historical Afrikan burial grounds Golden Rock, Godet, and Congo. Representatives of the Dutch Center of Intangible Cultural Heritage (KIEN) were part of the delegation.
The Commission handed the Alliance the UNESCO placards to underline the fact that the Afrikan burial grounds of Golden Rock and Godet were added to the ‘Routes of Enslaved Peoples’ on 9 October 2024. This ‘Routes of Enslaved Peoples’ brings together locations worldwide that were of great historical significance during the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery.
The delegation consisted of Kathleen Ferrier and Marielies Schelhaas from the Netherlands Commission for UNESCO and Saskia van Oostveen and Frank Hemeltjen from the Dutch Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Netherlands (KIEN). The Heritage Inspector of St. Eustatius, Raimie Richardson, was also present when visiting the sites. The delegation laid flowers in honor of the Ancestors and held a ‘libation’ as a spiritual tribute to them.
The application for the ‘Routes of Enslaved Peoples’ label has been submitted by the St. Eustatius Afrikan Burial Ground Alliance. During the ceremonial announcement in October 2024 at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the Alliance was praised for having taken the initiative for the application as a grassroots organization.
In the coming period, the Alliance will further discuss with the community the relevance of the UNESCO label in relation to the endangered Afrikan heritage in Statia.
- Photo 1: Representatives of UNESCO Netherlands Commission, President of the St. Eustatius Afrikan Burial Ground Alliance Kenneth Cuvalay, and Heritage Inspector Raimie Richardson
- Photo 2: Derrick Simmons (holding the placard) and Kenneth Cuvalay both of the St. Eustatius Afrikan Burial Ground Alliance, and Heritage Inspector Raimie Richardson
- Photo 3: Marielies Schelhaas, Secretary General at Unesco laying flowers at Godet Afrikan Burial ground with Alliance President Kenneth Cuvalay.
