OP-Ed

There’s a cure for people who are tired of being met with racism, discrimination, distrust, marginalization, nepotism and so on, simply because of their skin color. It’s a simple two-step remedy that should work like a charm and will leave you enlightened like one of those born-again Christians who claim they have seen the light and know better.

Truth can sting, especially when it has always been right there in your face and you never recognized it as truth. And I may have rubbed some people the wrong way last week when I told them my truths: that the fight against racism has been columbussed and watered down, and that the entire world is a safe space for white people. Hear me out.

On any given day, at least five flags fly on this 37 square miles island of St. Martin that we all call home. They are, in no particular order of importance, the St. Martin Unity Flag (North and South of our island), the St. Martin (South) flag, the flag of the Republic of France, the flag of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, and the European Union flag.

KHARTOUM, Sudan — Nearly 230,000 children, pregnant women and new mothers could die in the coming months due to hunger unless urgent, life-saving funding is released to respond to the massive and worsening crisis in Sudan, Save the Children said.

Nearly 700,000 people have now fled from extreme violence in Sudan to eastern Chad. One in three people in this deeply afflicted area is a refugee. Survivors have escaped atrocities, but now face extreme neglect and a daily struggle for survival.

Why do we maintain all these different airlines in the Caribbean region?

So my five days in St. Maarten last week went by like a roller coaster with hardly any sleep and my boi Francisco dragging me from event to event, showing off the roster of artists that he boasts at his Caribbean Riddim agency. Friday night April 19 was one such stop on the roller coaster.

Everything has been taken from our Ancestors. But I look at it like this: time has proven us right. We’re here to set things straight. When everything is taken from you, it is an opportunity to take everything you don’t have. You have the opportunity now to give everything back to them, by writing their stories. To do them justice.”

Have you ever sat in a history class that in itself was writing history? Well I just did!

On behalf of FamotaX. and Jaequitas , I had the pleasure of attending the symposium on sustainable trade with Africa, organized by the #SDGCAFÉ in The Hague at the Malietoren on Tuesday, 11th February.

The symposium focused on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive of the European Union (https://commission.europa.eu/business-economy-euro/doing-business-eu/sustainability-due-diligence-responsible-business/corporate-sustainability-due-diligence_en) which came into effect on 25th July 2024. I would like to extend my gratitude to the keynote speaker, Mr. Marhijn Visser of VNO-NCW and Carola Baller of the same organization, Mr. Mattijs Renden of NABC Netherlands-African Business Council, Mr. Vincent Gambrah , and Mr. Max Koffi for sharing their valuable insights.