UNESCO plaques unveiled at St. Eustatius Afrikan Burial Grounds

On January 26, Kenneth Cuvalay and Derrick Simmons of the St. Eustatius Afrikan Burial Ground Alliance, together with Heritage Inspector Raimie Richardson, 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 present at well.

The Commission handed the Alliance the UNESCO plaques 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, provided historical background of 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 of St. Eustatius the relevance of the UNESCO label in relation to the endangered Afrikan heritage on the island.

Credits for creating the laid wreaths go to Mrs. Glenda Courtar.

Image