Statia News No. 13
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INDEPENDENT NEWSLETTER
S TATIA N EWS V OLUME 1,
ISSUE
13 A UGUST 31, 2009 The Antillean Elections and Saba, page 2
E DITORIAL
The Friends of Statia were in the Daily Herald August 24. They are worried about loss of cultural identity. I have put the article on www.statianews.com This picture was taken a few days before the gathering of Friends of Statia in the Kralingse bos. Marcella Gibbs of the culture depart‐ ment was showing me some artefacts and pictures of Statia’s culture. I asked her to go outside and make pic‐ tures there. Are there some old ways to show me? Heri‐ tage and culture trace back to the ancestors you know and heard stories of. Their ways must be documented and in some cases preserved. Why not use aloe to wash your hair instead of shampoo? Statia’s colonial heritage and colonial days is a different matter. Most Statians are not too inter‐ ested in that. History starts with the old ways. In my opinion Statia’s cultural identity is alive and kicking. It’s a little hidden though, because it are things everybody knows, so you don’t talk about it. Some people Statia needs to be more proud. Anyway, all the Statians love Statia, that’s for sure. An exciting Statianews with Saba news in it too. When will someone from Saba write in this newsletter? This newsletter reaches all the departments in Holland. And the members of NAAZ. And a lot of politicians and high and low civil servants in the “future former Dutch Antil‐ les”. (like your future ex‐wife, just joking.) And Statia‐ news reaches normal Statians on Statia and abroad. Unfortunately, I still don’t print it out, because I have no money. If you want to sponsor me, or help me with money, please send an email to: [email protected] The “hillpeople” read it too, and the landowners abroad too. Saba stops paying Antillean Central taxes and drops the Antillean flag (page 2) Julian Woodley, together with the commissoners of Constitutional Affairs of Saba and Bonaire signed a “Conclusie Tripartiet BES”. In it, simply said: The delega‐ tions of the three island do not see enough tasks perfor‐ med on island level. The three islands were promised to be treated as three different entities and that there would be the possibility that within the equal (juridical) laws, some difference can exist on the different islands. This difference in handling tasks was put in the agreements, because in discussions with the Dutch and the delegations from Saba, Statia and Bonaire, it was concluded that there are differences in the capacity to conduct some tasks. It appears there is uniformity in stead of diversity. They urge the Netherland to stick to the agreement about diversity.
This “Conclusie” is very important. It shows a good view on the situation. If I may speak for Statia, I could think of a few departments that need extra help from Holland or even fall under Dutch responsibility. And maybe some departments must be independent of Dutch interference in conducting tasks. On page 9, 10, 11 I give view about the future of our education. I was triggered by a dramatic accident I heard of this morning. This accident was personal, but it can happen to all of us. By pure bad luck, all of us can be a victim. We could get hit by a hurricane for instance. I decided not to wait with my opinion. I had to write about education in Dutch. It’s called “Reply to Mr. Ber‐ nard Schmidt”… Enjoy,
Annemieke Kusters– Jansen ( 1966, huisvrouw, getrouwd, vier kinderen, twee in Holland, twee hier op Statia (lijkt wel Cari‐ bisch…), was vroeger docent maatschappijleer op het Aloysius College in Den Haag, heb pedagogiek gestudeerd in Leiden onder prof. Rien van IJzen‐ doorn, maar daar kan ik me niet meer zoveel van herinneren…)
Summer Special, the story of Françoise and her Roses, part 3, finale, by Walter Hellebrand, page 3, 4,5 Report Town Hall Meeting Taxes, page 6 Rumors and Transparancy, page 7 Letter to de Jager about New Taxes, page 7 Mazinga on the Bay, page 8 Reply to Mr. Bernard Schmidt, opinion in Dutch, page 9, 10, 11 New Press Conferences by GIS, page 11 The Soccer game on Saturday, page 12 Music, Rootsriders are coming Sept. 9, page 13. Small agenda: Mr. Henk Kamp will be on Saba today and on Statia on Wednesday. Mr. Hyden Gittens will give a press conference this mor‐ ning. Check 91.5 FM and local television, especi‐ ally Thursdaynight at 8.
P AGE 2 P OLITICS
August 31, 2009
T HE A NTILLEAN E LECTIONS
AND
This is the Breaking News on SXMislandtimes (check www.sxmislandtimes.com) PHILIPSBURG - The Island Territory of Saba announced today that they will secede from the Netherlands Antilles. The first act along this process will come on Tuesday when the plan to present a letter to the Dutch Prime Minister, through Commissioner Henk Kamp, announcing their plans to pull out of the Netherlands Antilles. The next act will be to start withholding taxes and the removal of the Antillean flag. Money Burden In the Amigoe on Friday August 28, Chris Johnson of the WIPM on Saba states in a reaction it to be re‐ grettable that this government (the Central Govern‐ ment) has taken the decision to have elections in January. “Elections cost a lot of money and the Antil‐ les are a great burden already, that’s why I rather had seen a different decision.” Nonetheless the WIPM will join the elections “full force”.
S TATIA N EWS
S ABA
Background Last week Thursday Prime Minister Emily de Jongh‐ Elhage announced that in spite of her earlier recom‐ mendation to postpone the elections, she will have new elections for the Antillean Parliament in Janu‐ ary 2010. On Friday in the Amigoe, it said that the proposition to the cabinet that was sent to the Raad van Advies for the Dutch Antilles, had the assump‐ tion that the election would be postponed. In this proposition it said that if the dismantling of the Country is in delay, the central government has un‐ til the first of September to hold elections. When the elections will take place, this will definitely de‐ lay the dismantling. De Jongh Elhage: “The Raad van Advies made it clear that politically and legally we have a right to postpone elections. The question is if there is enough basis for that postponement. She made the decision without further discussion. In November the candidates will be known and in January the election will be held.” Ank Bijleveld though, said on the radio 99.9 FM in St. Maarten that nothing stands in the way of the process of constitutional change. Mr. Duncan, the Minister of Constitutional Affairs, says in the Daily Herald of today, Monday August 31, that boycotting the elec‐ tion is the best approach. Mr. Anthony Godett, leader of the FOL party in Curacao is of the opinion that if the elections will take place in January, local elections must be postponed until October. They are planned in July.
P AGE 3 S UMMER S PECIAL
August 31, 2009
S TATIA N EWS
F RANCOISE AND HER R OSES : A W OMAN B EATING THE O DDS IN THE 17 TH C ENTURY C ARIBBEAN - P ART 3 By Walter Hellebrand In Part 1 and 2 of ´Françoise and her Roses´ (www. statianews.com – nrs. 11 and 12) we saw how the young refugee Françoise Vaz ended up in Statia with her family after they were chased out of Dutch Bra‐ zil when the Portuguese recaptured this colony in 1655. Her life changed again when in 1666 the French took over in Statia. The new governor took a liking to the young Françoise. His name was Gabriel Folio, Sieur des Roses, already commander of St. Martin. Françoise saw a rosy future ahead of her. She did not know then that the Dutch would later put a crude end to her hopes and plans … Françoise got herself a governor! And not just any one, but a man hailed by the French 17th century his‐ torian Dutertre as “The hero of the Islands.” She looked after him well. So well, that when he made his will in 1676, he left her an annual payment of 500 French pounds “for her efforts and good services in the Windward Islands." Jewish? But he did not marry her. Was she Jewish perhaps? Whatever it may have been, when the Dutch came back halfway 1668 and Des Roses had to leave, she followed him. By then, it seems he had decided (maybe with some inspiration from Françoise?) that the time had come for him to settle down. Possibly through Françoise’s family he was aware of the success of the Dutch and Jewish refugees from Brazil who had set up sugar plantations in Cayenne (French Guyana) while this colony was Dutch. Cay‐ enne was by now in French hands again. Its Governor was the same Lefebvre de la Barre who had orches‐ trated the surrender of the English in Statia to the French which resulted in Des Roses’ current position of Governor. So Cayenne it was to be. Here, Des Roses set himself up as a sugar planter, with Fran‐ çoise at his side. Perhaps thanks to the practical ad‐ vice of Françoise’s relatives, the plantation was very successful. In 1676, it was worth 16,000 French pounds with sixteen slaves working on it. Two little Roses Things were going well and in 1674 a son was born. Françoise had still not managed to get her Gabriel to
exchange vows, but she was quick to name the little boy after the father. The next year a little girl fol‐ lowed: Madeleine. Françoise now had two more little roses to care for. Des Roses would later ac‐ knowledge them as “the results of his actions.” But then her fate became entangled with that of the Dutch aspirations in the Americas once again. On Sunday 3 May 1676, Françoise had to rush her two babies, her slaves and essential belongings into the fort in Cayenne. A fleet of Dutch warships had been spotted. Together with the other women, chil‐
Dutch Admiral Jacob Bincker recaptured Cayenne in 1676 (Painting by Nicolaes Maes in the Metro‐ politain Museum of Art, New York). dren, elderly and slaves of the colony, they were ordered to take shelter while the men – including her Gabriel ‐ would try to hold off a Dutch attack. The Monday passed with the odd canon blast every now and then. But on Tuesday afternoon, the peo‐ ple inside the fort heard the sound of canons and guns increasing and becoming louder and louder. Before the Dutch reached the fort, the French ›
August 31, 2009
P AGE 4 S UMMER S PECIAL
F RANCOISE
AND HER
S TATIA N EWS
R OSES
governor came down with his flag and surrendered. On the French side, only one man was killed ‐ Fran‐ çoise was now a widow with two small children.
Fort Ceperou in Cayenne where Françoise had to take shelter with her children and slaves. The plaque above the gate commemorates the French defeat of the Dutch in 1676. Determined to die Widow? Yes: fatally injured, on his deathbed Des Roses had finally said “Oui” to Françoise. She had taken stock of the situation: the father of her chil‐ dren was dying and the colony was in turmoil. In or‐ der to safeguard what she saw as belonging to her and her children, she married the dying Des Roses “in extremis” as is the legal term for such a marriage. Fortunately – and how opportune? ‐ he had signed his testament in favor of Françoise the night before he was killed. However, the Dutch were now in con‐ trol. So the very day after she married and lost her husband, Françoise was on one of the Dutch ships, requesting that the notary on board register her hus‐ band’s testament. J.F. Artur, who a few decades later wrote a history of French Guyana, gives an explanation for the timing of Des Roses’ testament. He writes that “determined to die, he had made up his will the night before the at‐ tack.” “Even after the fort had been surrendered, he entrenched himself in a corner of the town square together with some fifteen or sixteen men. He was injured right away by a hit in the thigh” – according
to Artur in a “useless resistance that was not called for.” “Deep hatred” Before the reinstated Dutch Governor Spranger could do anything about the execution of Des Roses’ testament, the situation changed again. “The deep hatred of the French Minister Colbert for the Dutch was so intense that he could not bear their capture of Cayenne,” it says rather to the point in the Museum of the Department of Guyane. Colbert immediately dispatched the count D’Estrées with a fleet to recapture Cayenne. In December of that same year, his troops stormed the fort and de‐ feated the Dutch garrison. The recapture was hailed as a great military feat by the French and even in 1901, its 225th anniversary was celebrated in a grand way.
Count D’Estrées’ storming of Fort Ceperou in Cay‐ enne in 1676 (Painting by Charles Morel after a sketch by Paul Merwart (1903) in the museum of the Department of Guyane). The new French authorities did not seem eager to acknowledge Françoise’s rights. And just as deter‐ mined as she had gone on board a Dutch ship in search of a notary, she now boarded a French ship – to seek redress in Paris, the capital of a country where she had never been. She returned with let‐ ters from the Ministry in Paris supporting her case. Fort Oranje Her quest to secure Des Roses’ legacy for herself and her children was successful. In 1685, Des Roses’ plantation (that she operated together with ›
P AGE 5 S UMMER S PECIAL / T AXES
F RANCOISE
AND HER
August 31, 2009
R OSES
the Governor himself) was the grandest operation in the colony. Her daughter married the son of a mar‐ quis, family of the governor. Like his father, her son became Commander of a Fort Oranje, only this one in French Guyana, a former Dutch fort on the river Oya‐ pock on the border with Brazil.
En route to the site of Fort Oranje (middle of the picture) in French Guyana where Gabriel jr. became
T ALKIN ’ B LUES
S TATIA N EWS
ABOUT
In 1737, he owned a house in town, two plantations and some 67 slaves. His sons referred to him as the first Creole (locally born) to become an officer. Her grandson, “Creole, strong, robust” and “very intelli‐ gent,” became captain of the militia and was one of the first to develop the cultivation of coffee in French Guyana. But Françoise herself did not fare so lucky. In 1690 she remarried – with the Knight Jean de Griffolet, Lieutenant‐Major of the Cayenne garrison. Six months after the wedding, the governor caught De Griffolet beating the pregnant Françoise and forcing her to jump from a first floor gallery! De Griffolet was locked up in the fort and later sent away to “the islands.” In 1701, it turned out Françoise had sold parts of the family estate to pay for the debts (7,000 – 8,000 French pounds!) her new husband had made in France. Françoise died in 1705. She was buried inside the church of Cayenne, next to the pulpit.
B ACK T AXES
Joshua Spanner and Bernard Schmidt had a discusssion with Koos Sneek about the taxes. They all wonder, why, after 54 years of no proper taxation, we suddenly have to learn how to pay our Antillean taxes. They say the local government never did their best to properly collect the taxes. The inspectorate was in Sint Maarten and never paid much attention to the taxes of Statia. They realize every‐ body has to pay taxes, but the overall conclusion is that this exercition is not to be done. They say you can not punish the people for mistakes the local government has made. They suggest it would be better to levy the taxes of 2008 and 2007, because going back to 2004 is not to be done, especially since a lot of people do not have an administra‐ tion and do not even have a Cribnumber. They cite Mr. Julian Woodley, who once said that only people with gov‐ ernment jobs pay taxes. They also said that the inspectorate of Sint Maarten has made a lot of mistakes or is missing a lot of information. Guidance for Statians with administrating their business is very necessary. They also urge people to check if they have a right for a refund. They say that people are not aware of that.
They urge everybody to go to the tax office, get a crib number and if they have an assessment that is not accu‐ rate, the inspectors will help. Even if you have your ad‐ ministration in a shoe box, or even if you have no admini‐ stration at all. Koos Sneek said he had been to the tax office several times and the inspectors only had 10% of the people they had send assessments to, coming to the office. Statianews went there too and it was confirmed that not much people show up. They will visit the people that do not react and they said that at the inspectorate of Sint Maarten hired an extra person that is working for the taxes of Saba and Statia. You can get a form at the tax office where you can protest against your assessment. The taxoffice is aware of the problems and will try to help people as much as they can. They did not react to Mr. Hookers’ remark about first collecting taxes before giving back taxes. If you have a right for a refund, you must get that, the tax office is just applying the rules and has noth‐ ing to do with where money must come from.
P AGE 6 T AXES
August 31, 2009
S TATIA N EWS
R EPORT T OWN H ALL M EETING I NFORMATION C ENTER T AXES Date: August 18th 2009 Place: Lions Den By: Koos Sneek General The purpose of this town hall meeting was to introduce the staff of the recently opened Information Center for Taxes in St. Eustatius and explain the services offered. The center is working on behalf of the Tax Inspectorate of St. Maarten. The reason to open this center is to improve the service to the community of Statia. One can visit the office and they will assist with all tax related issues. Through this there will be no longer a need to call or visit the Tax Inspectorate in St. Maarten. The center is there solely for the purpose to assist with the present Antillean taxes and has nothing to do with the new tax system to be introduced after the island becomes a BES island and an integrated part of The Netherlands. It was explained that over the years a serious backlog has occurred both as a result of not enforcing the tax collection and non‐compliance from the part of the tax payers. Taxes are not filed, assessments are not paid and many taxpayers are not registered. The center is assisting the government to eliminate the backlog. Summons and assessments The center handles income tax, wage tax, turnover tax and profit tax. The law allows the Inspectorate to go back a maximum of 5 years (until 2004). Income tax For the income tax summons have been sent out for the years 2004 to 2007. Also the tax return forms for the year 2008 have been sent out. Wage tax and AVBZ For the wage tax and AVBZ assessments have been sent out for the years 2007 and 2008. Also wage tax assess‐ ments for 2009 have been mailed out. Turnover tax For the turnover tax assessments have been sent out for 2005 until March 2009. Profit tax No forms have been sent out yet. AOV/AWW Assessments for AOV/AWW are sent out by SVB. Protest letters can also be sent through the Information Center of Taxes
OF
Collection All persons and companies that have received summons and/or assessments are urged to contact the service cen‐ ter. They generally have until September 1st to do so. At the center they will be explained what is exactly expected from them and they can make arrangements like getting extra time to comply with the assessments and summons. One is advised not to pay the assessments until every‐ thing has been straitened out with the Information Cen‐ ter. Everyone is strongly advised to visit the center. When you don’t visit the center and also do not pay your taxes (this has to be done by the receiver’s office) then the Collection Officer will pay you a visit and will give you a limited time still to comply and pay or make payment arrangements with the receiver’s office. If this has been ignored the Marshall will pay you a visit and decides which possessions in your home or business will be con‐ fiscated and publicly sold to cover your tax debt. It has been stressed that this is a measure of last resort and the Inspectorate would want to avoid this. Reaction by the public In general it became clear that many are ignorant about the obligation to pay tax and the manner how and when one has to file and pay their tax. Also many individuals and companies are not registered by the Tax Inspector‐ ate. It was explained that this is mandatory. At this point in time only summons and assessments have been sent out to registered tax payers. This is felt by many as unjust since the non‐registered companies and persons remain off the hook (at least for the time being). The difference of wage tax and income tax was not clear by many. Wage tax is deducted from the salary by the employer. It is his obligation to pay this tax. Wage tax is actually income tax paid in advance. Income tax return forms need to be filed annually by each individual. Be‐ sides regular wages here also any other income needs to be reported (such as rental income) as well as certain expenses can be deducted. Many are not aware of the possibilities to deduct certain expenses and to be eligible for tax refunds. Commissioner Hooker explained that there is about 2 million guilders to be paid out in refunds. He claims the government does not pay this because there is also about 10 million guilders in taxes still to be collected.
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P AGE 7 P OLITICS /T AXES /S PORTS
R UMORS
AND
August 31, 2009
S TATIA N EWS
T RANSPARANCY
The facts: Mr. Frederic Gibbs and Mrs. Monique Brown were recommended by the island council for the position of Lt. Governor of St. Eustatius. The rumor: Our acting Lt. Governor (waarnemend gezaghebber), Mr. Gerald Berkel will be the next Lt. Governor. The rumor is difficult to check: When Statianews called Mr. Hooker for clarification is this matter, he said he knows Mr. Berkel was recommended and that he was not recommended by the island council. He could not tell who recommended him. He also could not tell at which point in the procedure we are now. Is his recommendation approved by Mr. Goedgedrag? Does Mrs. Bijleveld know about his recommendation? Mr. Hooker could not tell. The facts: In the notitie uitgangspunten wet open‐ bare lichamen bes, it is explained that there will be a “bestuursorgaan” between the Kingdom and the public entities that Statia, Saba and Bonaire will be. This bestuursorgaan will fall directly under the Dutch Minister of Internal Affairs and that will be the “Rijksvertegenwoordiger”. Mr. Kamp was appointed as a temporary Rijksvertegenwoordiger, to
L ETTER TO D E J AGER THE N EW T AXES
“smoothen” the transition period. One of the tasks of this “Rijksvertegenwoordiger”, could be accord‐ ing to the notitie: “Opmaken van een aanbeveling voor de benoeming van gezaghebbers en van een voorstel voor herbenoeming van gezaghebbers.” Now Mr. Kamp is not a true Rijksvertegenwoordi‐ ger, because the job with all the authority it will have, does not exist yet. The rumor: Mr. Kamp recommended Mr. Berkel to Mrs. Bijleveld. Statianews is not in the habit to spread rumors, but Statianews does have the intention of opening dis‐ cussions and looking after transparency in govern‐ ment. So Statianews will talk to Mr. Kamp next Wednesday. Talk to him! And we hope that more people will: Everybody on Statia can talk to Mr. Kamp on Wednesday. All you have to do is call 3183370 and they will put you on the list. He will be available from 2 to 3 p.m. Until now Mr. Kamp only has two appointments. So call the RSC and talk to him!
ABOUT
The St. Eustatius Business Association (STEBA) to‐ gether with the Saba Business Association (SBA) have sent a letter to State Secretary of Finance, Mr. de Jager. In this letter they express their concern about the new Tax Laws. In Statianews, these comments about these tax laws have been described by Koos Sneek. On our website www.statianews.com you can find these articles. STEBA and SBA are concerned that the new laws will be implemented with little knowl‐ edge of the actually situation on the islands and with‐ out taking the unique situation of the islands into account. The letter was sent July 28, and no answer has been given. They are thinking of other ways to make the Netherlands aware of their concerns.
Wrong pictures! This is NOT the place to go to for infor‐ mation about the New Taxes. Here, they only work un‐ der the Antillean Tax regime.
August 31, 2009
P AGE 8 L OCAL N EWS
M AZINGA
ON THE
S TATIA N EWS
B AY
For months already, Wim de Jong and his crew are working on that little warehouse on the bay. Some‐ times you see Leontine and Tony Durby working there too in the weekends. Not so long ago, they were sitting there every weekend, hammering ce‐ ment from the old bricks. They are renovating that old building to make “Mazinga on the Bay”, a second giftshop (we already have a Mazinga in Oranjestad) with a small apartment attached to it.
Jim Coffey together with Clem John.
They are so low‐key about it, that nobody pays atten‐ tion to their work. But if you ask Leontine about it, she gets very passionate. It has been her and Tony’s longtime dream to renovate this building. “These old buildings supposed to be Statia’s pride and we want to contribute to their preservation.” They started out in this building with their diveshop “the Happy Hooker” in the 70’s and 80’s. A lot of people remember the good times they had there. The building has been deserted since the nineties and finally will come in use again. If you think about it, this building will actually be the first building on Statia that will be completely reno‐ vated in the old style. Leontine and Tony decided to ask professionals to do research. You can check their report on www.statianews.com In this report you can find some beautiful paintings and pictures of what lower town looked like in the glory days of Statia. The research that was done, reveals a lot about Statia’s colonial past. In this report you can read that Statia’s lower town is undoubtly one of the best preserved 18th century trade districts of the Caribbean. The Mazinga on the Bay building is believed to be the headquarters for the West Indies Company and it
was likely constructed sometime in the 1730s. A full archaeological report by Secar is forthcoming. Last Friday August 28, the Masonary crew has started. Jim Coffey and Randy Henry from “Walter Associates” are working very hard to first strengthen those parts of the building that are im‐ portant for the structure. When they are finished with all the masonary, the building will look exactly how it looked in the 1730’s. “Walter Associates” has won several awards in the US for their restorations. For Mazinga on the Bay they do not use normal cement, but the mixture with lime that was used in the old days. Wim de Jong will plaster the inside
walls with this same material, that was developed back then to resist the Caribbean weather. When you want to follow the restoration, go to www.mazingaonthebay.com ‹
P AGE 9 O PINION
R EPLY
TO
August 31, 2009
S TATIA N EWS
M R . B ERNARD S CHMIDT
Thursday night on Talkin’ Blues, CTC tv, the program was about taxes. Before the actual discussion started, Mr. Bernard Schmidt, co‐host had some remarks to make. “Mr. Kamp shows not enough respect..” was one of them, the other one was: “The language of instruction within the schools should be Dutch…” To start my discussion about these issues, I will write in Dutch. We are all Dutch, aren’t we and I’m not so good in English. Dus, geachte heer Bernard Schmidt, zal ik mijn ana‐ lyse van uw woorden in het Nederlands uiteen zet‐ ten. Uitpraten met Meneer Kamp Wat u wil van De heer Kamp is dat hij met meerdere mensen wat langer praat. U vindt het een teken van disrespect dat er een lijstje is waar maar een aantal mensen op kunnen staan die vervolgens 10 minuten met Kamp kunnen spreken. Als Meneer Kamp nou 4 september de hele middag in Super Burger gaat zitten om met iedereen te praten die maar met hem wil praten en als hij zijn telefoon nummer bekend maakt zodat ie ook zomaar te bereiken is en als hij wat vaker op de lokale radio en televisie in inbelprogramma’s gaat zitten, zou het dan goed zijn? Ik denk het niet, want er zijn meer redenen waarom u en andere mensen het moeilijk hebben met Me‐ neer Kamp. Wat wel goed is, is om het uit te praten. Ik denk dat Meneer Kamp open staat voor grieven en zijn best zou willen doen om mensen die zich tekort‐ gedaan voelen tegemoet te komen. Als het redelijk is, tenminste… Onderwijs en Taal Het tweede punt is onderwijs. Volgens Bernard Schmidt zijn onze kinderen beter af met onderwijs in het Nederlands. Ik persoonlijk ben het daar niet mee eens. Waar het volgens mij om gaat is dat onze kin‐ deren goed onderwijs krijgen. Dat is een heel inge‐ wikkeld iets omdat onze kinderen op een Caribisch eiland opgroeien.
Nederland heeft gefaald Ze zijn Nederlands en moeten dezelfde kansen heb‐ ben als de kinderen in Nederland. Het is om heel verdrietig van te worden als je ziet hoe slecht ieder‐ een hier is onderwezen. Er zijn veel mensen die hier op school zijn geweest en die niet kunnen lezen en schrijven. Er zijn kinderen die in groep acht van de basisschool zitten en die niet kunnen lezen en schri‐ jven. Er is geen remedial teacher, geen extra hulp in de klassen. De werkvloer van het onderwijs is nooit direct geholpen. Dat is de fout van Nederland. Ned‐ erland had de Antilliaanse schoolinspectie moeten aansturen. Dat is het minste wat ze hadden moeten doen. De leerkrachten het te zwaar. Er wordt geen goede structuur geboden. Er is niet een goed lespro‐ gramma waar ze zich aan moeten houden en er is geen sterke leiding die alle scholen onder zich heeft. Dit zijn problemen die onmiddellijk aangepakt moeten worden. Dus wat is daarvan gekomen? Er is nu een generatie ontstaan van kinderen die ouders en grootouders hebben die allemaal geen goed onderwijs hebben gehad. Niemand kan van deze ouders en grootouders verwachten dat ze hun kind kunnen helpen met school. Wat niet mag gebeuren is dat er een tweedeling ontstaat van mensen die nooit verder zullen komen en mensen die veel meer kansen krijgen. De taalkwestie is daarin instrumenteel. De jongens en meisjes van de AGO hoeven geen Nederlands te kennen om de lessen te volgen. Alles is in Engels, niets hoeft in het Nederlands gedaan te worden. Niemand weet of deze kinderen slim of dom zijn. Misschien is er iets aan de hand waardoor ze con‐ centratiemoeilijkheden hebben, misschien zijn ze dyslectisch, misschien hebben ze grote psychische problemen of misschien zijn ze slim, maar lui. Taal Het is algemeen bekend dat je pas een nieuwe taal kan leren als je EEN taal goed beheerst. In Neder‐ land is uitgewezen dat kinderen waarvan de ouders Marokkaans zijn, maar die in Marokko goed opge‐ leid zijn en daardoor de taal correct aan hun ›
P AGE 10 O PINION
R EPLY
TO
August 31, 2009
S TATIA N EWS
M R . B ERNARD S CHMIDT
kinderen overdragen, veel sneller het Nederlands meester worden dan andere Marokkaanse kinderen met ouders die het Berbers minder goed machtig zijn. Ik ben voor het Engels als instructietaal omdat dat helpt om het Engels goed en correct machtig te worden. Met die sterke basis leer je het Nederlands makkelijker aan. Met een goede cursus Nederlands op de middelbare school en wat voorbereidend werk op de lagere school moet het Nederlands moet dit mogelijk zijn. Als de kwaliteit van het Engels maar goed is, en dat is een probleem. Veel Nederlanders en Surinamers die hier lesgeven spreken niet vloeiend Engels zoals een Engelstalig opgevoed iemand dat spreekt. Naar de toekomst Bernard Schmidt en veel mensen van zijn generatie willen terug naar vroeger. Toen had school een belangrijkere rol in het leven van de kinderen. We moeten vanuit de huidige realiteit verder en een plan maken voor de toekomst. Dat zegt iedereen de hele tijd, maar ik heb nog nergens een structureel plan gezien. Ik heb er zelf wel een. Een grote publieke basisschool en een publieke middelbare school en een goede MBO. Al deze scholen zijn publiek, maar geen ge‐ meentescholen. Er moet een bestuurslaag gecreerd worden, een tweede Rijksvertegenwoordiger die zich alleen met onderwijs bezighoudt. Ik bedenk dit plan alleen voor Statia. Saba en Bonaire moeten zelf met een oplossing komen en hebben misschien heel an‐ dere maatregelen nodig. De Wolbes moet voor St. Eustatius een aanvulling krijgen. Een mini bes‐ tuurslaagje voor onderwijs. Nederland moet voor het onderwijs rechtstreeks verantwoordelijk zijn, niet alleen voor het geld, maar ook voor de inhoud. Niet alleen controleren of men zich aan de onderwijswet houdt, maar actief zich bezighouden met het pro‐ gramma. Hij moet hiervoor een plan maken en verantwoording af kunnen leggen aan de Tweede Kamer. Statia moet dus zorgen dat ze vertegen‐ woordiging heeft in de Tweede Kamer.
Deze ingreep is naar mijn mening noodzakelijk om‐ dat de inhaalslag die we moeten maken te groot en te moeilijk is. Directie en leraren werken nauw samen met deze Onderwijs Rijksvertegenwoordiger. Een bestuur hoeft de school niet te hebben. Ouders zijn vertegenwoordigd in de ouderraad, Leraren in de lerarenraad en de locale overheid heeft ook een stem. Er is dan overleg tussen die verschillende raden en de Onderwijs Rijksvertegenwoordiger. De andere nauwe samenwerking is met bureau Jeugd en Gezin dat ook een sterke invloed moet houden na de transitie. De aan te nemen sociaal werkers en de psychiater en remedial teacher en misschien nog anderen, werken allemaal samen, daar is al een plan voor gemaakt. (zie Statianews 12, pag. 6 en 7) Sport Statiaanse leerlingen moeten op hun tenen gaan lopen, er moet competitie binnen de school, binnen de klas komen en SPORT moet heel belangrijk worden. In Nederland zijn ze daar een enorme cam‐ pagne over aan het maken en niet alleen in het on‐ derwijs, ook VWS is daarmee bezig en werkt samen met OCW. Richard Kraijcek maakt deel uit van dat platform. Ook muziek en kunstonderwijs moet door gespe‐ cialiseerde mensen gedaan worden, die het door‐ trekken naar de rest van de gemeenschap. Naschoolse opvang enzo. Voor goed onderwijs heb je veel mensen nodig die allemaal hun specialisatie hebben. Zo is het in Ned‐ erland ook. In Nederland heb je op de basisscholen aparte leraren voor gym, muziek en kunst. Er ko‐ men allerlei theater– en muziekgroepen met work‐ shops langs en kinderen worden blootgesteld aan interessante educatieve uitjes en museumbezoek. Een divers aanbod. Statia is niet zo divers, maar moet diverser gemaakt worden. Kinderen moeten klaargemaakt worden voor de wereld. Statia maakt deel uit van de wereld. Culturen buiten het Caribisch gebied moeten ze ook leren kennen. ›
P AGE 11 O PINION
R EPLY
TO
August 31, 2009
S TATIA N EWS
M R . B ERNARD S CHMIDT
Je moet zorgen dat je in het contact met Nederland zorgt dat het mes aan twee kanten snijdt. Er moeten win‐win relaties komen. Bijvoorbeeld bij de samenwerking met Nederlandse MBO’s en HBO’s en andere instellingen die de Statia case study van gestage groei en ontwikkeling zien als een uitdaging en een proeftuin van Nederlandse ontwikkelingen. De brede school bijvoorbeeld, waar ze het altijd over hebben. Die kun je hier heel makkelik creeren.
Luister naar de werkvloer Onderwijs begint op de werkvloer en de leerkrachten van de basisscholen en de middelbare school moeten veel meer gehoord worden.
N EW P RESS C ONFERENCES
BY
The Government Information Service has created the possibility to have a one on one discussion with our elected officials. The first press conference will be Tuesday September 8, from 9.30—10.30 and will be hosted by the honourable Lt. Governor Mr. Hy‐ den Gittens. The idea is to have a monthly press con‐ ference in which an elected official from within the
En ook ouders en leerlingen moeten gehoord worden, het gebeurt al een beetje, maar het onder‐ wijs moet bij wijze van spreken iedere dag bespro‐ ken worden! (sorry dat ik zo eigenwijs ben, maar ik kan het niet laten! Ik was leraar maatschappijleer in Nederland!) Annemieke Kusters (I’m sorry, Mr. Schmidt, that this reply is so long..) ‹
G.I.S. Executive Council will answer questions of the press. The idea is to commence in 2010 if necessary with weekly conferences, so that the community can be fully enlightened on developments within government that will affect the community. (source: email GIS)
The honourable Lt. Governor Mr. Hyden Gittens with the first lady Mrs. Sylvana Gittens. praying at Queensday April 30, 2009. In the back, Mr. Gerald Berkel, acting Lt. Governor. (picture by Jan van Duren)
August 31, 2009
P AGE 12 S PORTS
T HE S OCCER G AME
ON
S ATURDAY
IN
S TATIA N EWS
S T . M AARTEN
Paul Fletcher, team manager and coach: The Experience “The good thing about this game was the experi‐ “On behalf of Statia Soccerteam, I would like to say a ence on the big field. The team was somewhat anx‐ special thanks to the people who made our trip to St. ious because of their lack of experience. But as said: Maarten a success. To Mr. Carl Buncamper and Mrs. Grace Halley who gave us a special air fare to travel on Winair and to the girls of Winair who helped us Sunday morning with our problems of coming back. They were patient with us and we didn’t have to pay extra for the different flight we had to take. We are thankful to Lady Alida Francis, to Mr. Don Mitchell of Superburger, to Un‐ cle Zaandam and all the others that sup‐ ported us.” “ I am very grateful for this opportunity to play soccer in St. Maarten, because it helps us showcase our talented soccer players, and we are hoping to travel to St. Maarten periodically to play in the soccer competi‐ tion from Oct. 2009 to March 2010.” The Game Same picture as last week, no pictures made in St. Maarten. Romario “Our team was playing on the big field, is the one with the green shirt and white pants. In St. Maarten the eleven against eleven. They were playing team played in shirts donated by JAC, a footballteam from Schevenin‐ against a very good team, that is playing gen in Holland. together for years now. In spite of the fact They will do better next time.” that our guys are inexperienced on the big field, they stood up against this team. This was the first time this new team was playing out and some of the team “I want to take the team to St. Kitts in two or three weeks time. We went there already and it will be members are unfamiliar with each other. It was really good for the team.” good to have some of the guys from Saba on the team, because we didn’t have enough players. In my opinion these guys will do a better job next time.” The name “As soon as Statia’s soccerteam will have a real goal‐ When asked why Mr. Fletcher doesn’t use the name keeper, it will be a different ballgame. IBOS anymore, he said that everybody is calling the Francisco Dembrook is a good goalkeeper. He did a team the Statia Soccer team and that the team is wonderful job in the field, and if it weren’t for this actually the selection of Statia’s soccer players. guy from St. Maarten who took up the job to goal keep, we would have had a different game. Francisco would have done much better. Miller was perform‐ ing excellent as the last man, doing a great job in the defense. Romario was playing in the midfield doing a good job combining. Next time he should take some shots from distance. Scott was living up to his reputa‐ tion on the left side.”
P AGE 13 M USIC
R OOTSRIDERS
August 31, 2009
ARE COMING FOR TRUE
The Rootsriders were planning to play on Statia Au‐ gust 5, but this performance was postponed. They are coming for true now on September 9, that is on a Wednesday night at the Lions’ Den. They will per‐ form on Friday in Curacao at Mambo Beach and on Saturday in Bonaire at The Waterfront.
Rootsriders
They will bring a cameraman to shoot a video for a new track, they will mainly be shooting on Statia. They have a lot of material on youtube, if you want to check them out, go to: BRAND NEW! Tribute2BobMarley live at Melkweg Amsterdam December 9, 2008: http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzSvEoSLNHs BRAND NEW! Tribute2BobMarley ‐ Jamming (ft Leona, Irepeat and others): http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=IooiY0434LI Rootsriders Music Video 111rd World (new sin‐ gle): http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ip3Iqyhz8pU Rootsriders in Africa: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=eKg‐I4C4scc BRAND NEW! Rootsriders ‐ Live medley So Much More (new album): http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=P9_yqn4LtTI Tribute2BobMarley live at DWDD (nr. 1 talkshow Holland): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k‐ P0VrS3qH8 Tribute2BobMarley ‐ Could You Be Loved (live at fes‐ tival): http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ymDvua4n2yk
S TATIA N EWS
S EPTEMBER 9 !!!!!!!
The Rootsriders are one of the best Bob Marley music performers, two people from Statia are part of it: Tamara Rous and Ronchi Rous. They went to Africa a couple of times and they also tour in Europe and in India. They also went to Curacao. They have never performed on the Windward Is‐ lands. Next Febuary they will return to the area until the Heineken Regatta in March. Tickets are for sale at the gate $ 15 and for presale $ 10. You can get the tickets at Superburger, Maz‐ inga and Double Lucky. The revenues will go en‐ tirely to the Auxiliary Home and to Chapel Piece Recreational Centre. This year it was difficult to find sponsors for the Roots Foundation, who organized this concert. They have been organizing concerts since 1987. Tania Stevens from Jamaica was here, Small Ax from St. Kitts, Better band from Anguilla and there were two concerts featuring Ziggy, who is from Statia and won the “Zilveren Harp” in Holland last year. The Roots Foundation wants to emphasize that all the money they collect always went to the Auxiliary home. This year is the first time they will sponsor Chapel Piece too. So come out Wednesday night for a great musical experience with your fellow Statia men, women and teenagers. The teenagers will promise to get up early to go to school on Thursday! Only grandmoth‐ ers stay at home with the babies and little ones! Let us all go! (Joshua) ‹
S TATIA N EWS V OLUME 1,
ISSUE
13 A UGUST 31, 2009 The Antillean Elections and Saba, page 2
E DITORIAL
The Friends of Statia were in the Daily Herald August 24. They are worried about loss of cultural identity. I have put the article on www.statianews.com This picture was taken a few days before the gathering of Friends of Statia in the Kralingse bos. Marcella Gibbs of the culture depart‐ ment was showing me some artefacts and pictures of Statia’s culture. I asked her to go outside and make pic‐ tures there. Are there some old ways to show me? Heri‐ tage and culture trace back to the ancestors you know and heard stories of. Their ways must be documented and in some cases preserved. Why not use aloe to wash your hair instead of shampoo? Statia’s colonial heritage and colonial days is a different matter. Most Statians are not too inter‐ ested in that. History starts with the old ways. In my opinion Statia’s cultural identity is alive and kicking. It’s a little hidden though, because it are things everybody knows, so you don’t talk about it. Some people Statia needs to be more proud. Anyway, all the Statians love Statia, that’s for sure. An exciting Statianews with Saba news in it too. When will someone from Saba write in this newsletter? This newsletter reaches all the departments in Holland. And the members of NAAZ. And a lot of politicians and high and low civil servants in the “future former Dutch Antil‐ les”. (like your future ex‐wife, just joking.) And Statia‐ news reaches normal Statians on Statia and abroad. Unfortunately, I still don’t print it out, because I have no money. If you want to sponsor me, or help me with money, please send an email to: [email protected] The “hillpeople” read it too, and the landowners abroad too. Saba stops paying Antillean Central taxes and drops the Antillean flag (page 2) Julian Woodley, together with the commissoners of Constitutional Affairs of Saba and Bonaire signed a “Conclusie Tripartiet BES”. In it, simply said: The delega‐ tions of the three island do not see enough tasks perfor‐ med on island level. The three islands were promised to be treated as three different entities and that there would be the possibility that within the equal (juridical) laws, some difference can exist on the different islands. This difference in handling tasks was put in the agreements, because in discussions with the Dutch and the delegations from Saba, Statia and Bonaire, it was concluded that there are differences in the capacity to conduct some tasks. It appears there is uniformity in stead of diversity. They urge the Netherland to stick to the agreement about diversity.
This “Conclusie” is very important. It shows a good view on the situation. If I may speak for Statia, I could think of a few departments that need extra help from Holland or even fall under Dutch responsibility. And maybe some departments must be independent of Dutch interference in conducting tasks. On page 9, 10, 11 I give view about the future of our education. I was triggered by a dramatic accident I heard of this morning. This accident was personal, but it can happen to all of us. By pure bad luck, all of us can be a victim. We could get hit by a hurricane for instance. I decided not to wait with my opinion. I had to write about education in Dutch. It’s called “Reply to Mr. Ber‐ nard Schmidt”… Enjoy,
Annemieke Kusters– Jansen ( 1966, huisvrouw, getrouwd, vier kinderen, twee in Holland, twee hier op Statia (lijkt wel Cari‐ bisch…), was vroeger docent maatschappijleer op het Aloysius College in Den Haag, heb pedagogiek gestudeerd in Leiden onder prof. Rien van IJzen‐ doorn, maar daar kan ik me niet meer zoveel van herinneren…)
Summer Special, the story of Françoise and her Roses, part 3, finale, by Walter Hellebrand, page 3, 4,5 Report Town Hall Meeting Taxes, page 6 Rumors and Transparancy, page 7 Letter to de Jager about New Taxes, page 7 Mazinga on the Bay, page 8 Reply to Mr. Bernard Schmidt, opinion in Dutch, page 9, 10, 11 New Press Conferences by GIS, page 11 The Soccer game on Saturday, page 12 Music, Rootsriders are coming Sept. 9, page 13. Small agenda: Mr. Henk Kamp will be on Saba today and on Statia on Wednesday. Mr. Hyden Gittens will give a press conference this mor‐ ning. Check 91.5 FM and local television, especi‐ ally Thursdaynight at 8.
P AGE 2 P OLITICS
August 31, 2009
T HE A NTILLEAN E LECTIONS
AND
This is the Breaking News on SXMislandtimes (check www.sxmislandtimes.com) PHILIPSBURG - The Island Territory of Saba announced today that they will secede from the Netherlands Antilles. The first act along this process will come on Tuesday when the plan to present a letter to the Dutch Prime Minister, through Commissioner Henk Kamp, announcing their plans to pull out of the Netherlands Antilles. The next act will be to start withholding taxes and the removal of the Antillean flag. Money Burden In the Amigoe on Friday August 28, Chris Johnson of the WIPM on Saba states in a reaction it to be re‐ grettable that this government (the Central Govern‐ ment) has taken the decision to have elections in January. “Elections cost a lot of money and the Antil‐ les are a great burden already, that’s why I rather had seen a different decision.” Nonetheless the WIPM will join the elections “full force”.
S TATIA N EWS
S ABA
Background Last week Thursday Prime Minister Emily de Jongh‐ Elhage announced that in spite of her earlier recom‐ mendation to postpone the elections, she will have new elections for the Antillean Parliament in Janu‐ ary 2010. On Friday in the Amigoe, it said that the proposition to the cabinet that was sent to the Raad van Advies for the Dutch Antilles, had the assump‐ tion that the election would be postponed. In this proposition it said that if the dismantling of the Country is in delay, the central government has un‐ til the first of September to hold elections. When the elections will take place, this will definitely de‐ lay the dismantling. De Jongh Elhage: “The Raad van Advies made it clear that politically and legally we have a right to postpone elections. The question is if there is enough basis for that postponement. She made the decision without further discussion. In November the candidates will be known and in January the election will be held.” Ank Bijleveld though, said on the radio 99.9 FM in St. Maarten that nothing stands in the way of the process of constitutional change. Mr. Duncan, the Minister of Constitutional Affairs, says in the Daily Herald of today, Monday August 31, that boycotting the elec‐ tion is the best approach. Mr. Anthony Godett, leader of the FOL party in Curacao is of the opinion that if the elections will take place in January, local elections must be postponed until October. They are planned in July.
P AGE 3 S UMMER S PECIAL
August 31, 2009
S TATIA N EWS
F RANCOISE AND HER R OSES : A W OMAN B EATING THE O DDS IN THE 17 TH C ENTURY C ARIBBEAN - P ART 3 By Walter Hellebrand In Part 1 and 2 of ´Françoise and her Roses´ (www. statianews.com – nrs. 11 and 12) we saw how the young refugee Françoise Vaz ended up in Statia with her family after they were chased out of Dutch Bra‐ zil when the Portuguese recaptured this colony in 1655. Her life changed again when in 1666 the French took over in Statia. The new governor took a liking to the young Françoise. His name was Gabriel Folio, Sieur des Roses, already commander of St. Martin. Françoise saw a rosy future ahead of her. She did not know then that the Dutch would later put a crude end to her hopes and plans … Françoise got herself a governor! And not just any one, but a man hailed by the French 17th century his‐ torian Dutertre as “The hero of the Islands.” She looked after him well. So well, that when he made his will in 1676, he left her an annual payment of 500 French pounds “for her efforts and good services in the Windward Islands." Jewish? But he did not marry her. Was she Jewish perhaps? Whatever it may have been, when the Dutch came back halfway 1668 and Des Roses had to leave, she followed him. By then, it seems he had decided (maybe with some inspiration from Françoise?) that the time had come for him to settle down. Possibly through Françoise’s family he was aware of the success of the Dutch and Jewish refugees from Brazil who had set up sugar plantations in Cayenne (French Guyana) while this colony was Dutch. Cay‐ enne was by now in French hands again. Its Governor was the same Lefebvre de la Barre who had orches‐ trated the surrender of the English in Statia to the French which resulted in Des Roses’ current position of Governor. So Cayenne it was to be. Here, Des Roses set himself up as a sugar planter, with Fran‐ çoise at his side. Perhaps thanks to the practical ad‐ vice of Françoise’s relatives, the plantation was very successful. In 1676, it was worth 16,000 French pounds with sixteen slaves working on it. Two little Roses Things were going well and in 1674 a son was born. Françoise had still not managed to get her Gabriel to
exchange vows, but she was quick to name the little boy after the father. The next year a little girl fol‐ lowed: Madeleine. Françoise now had two more little roses to care for. Des Roses would later ac‐ knowledge them as “the results of his actions.” But then her fate became entangled with that of the Dutch aspirations in the Americas once again. On Sunday 3 May 1676, Françoise had to rush her two babies, her slaves and essential belongings into the fort in Cayenne. A fleet of Dutch warships had been spotted. Together with the other women, chil‐
Dutch Admiral Jacob Bincker recaptured Cayenne in 1676 (Painting by Nicolaes Maes in the Metro‐ politain Museum of Art, New York). dren, elderly and slaves of the colony, they were ordered to take shelter while the men – including her Gabriel ‐ would try to hold off a Dutch attack. The Monday passed with the odd canon blast every now and then. But on Tuesday afternoon, the peo‐ ple inside the fort heard the sound of canons and guns increasing and becoming louder and louder. Before the Dutch reached the fort, the French ›
August 31, 2009
P AGE 4 S UMMER S PECIAL
F RANCOISE
AND HER
S TATIA N EWS
R OSES
governor came down with his flag and surrendered. On the French side, only one man was killed ‐ Fran‐ çoise was now a widow with two small children.
Fort Ceperou in Cayenne where Françoise had to take shelter with her children and slaves. The plaque above the gate commemorates the French defeat of the Dutch in 1676. Determined to die Widow? Yes: fatally injured, on his deathbed Des Roses had finally said “Oui” to Françoise. She had taken stock of the situation: the father of her chil‐ dren was dying and the colony was in turmoil. In or‐ der to safeguard what she saw as belonging to her and her children, she married the dying Des Roses “in extremis” as is the legal term for such a marriage. Fortunately – and how opportune? ‐ he had signed his testament in favor of Françoise the night before he was killed. However, the Dutch were now in con‐ trol. So the very day after she married and lost her husband, Françoise was on one of the Dutch ships, requesting that the notary on board register her hus‐ band’s testament. J.F. Artur, who a few decades later wrote a history of French Guyana, gives an explanation for the timing of Des Roses’ testament. He writes that “determined to die, he had made up his will the night before the at‐ tack.” “Even after the fort had been surrendered, he entrenched himself in a corner of the town square together with some fifteen or sixteen men. He was injured right away by a hit in the thigh” – according
to Artur in a “useless resistance that was not called for.” “Deep hatred” Before the reinstated Dutch Governor Spranger could do anything about the execution of Des Roses’ testament, the situation changed again. “The deep hatred of the French Minister Colbert for the Dutch was so intense that he could not bear their capture of Cayenne,” it says rather to the point in the Museum of the Department of Guyane. Colbert immediately dispatched the count D’Estrées with a fleet to recapture Cayenne. In December of that same year, his troops stormed the fort and de‐ feated the Dutch garrison. The recapture was hailed as a great military feat by the French and even in 1901, its 225th anniversary was celebrated in a grand way.
Count D’Estrées’ storming of Fort Ceperou in Cay‐ enne in 1676 (Painting by Charles Morel after a sketch by Paul Merwart (1903) in the museum of the Department of Guyane). The new French authorities did not seem eager to acknowledge Françoise’s rights. And just as deter‐ mined as she had gone on board a Dutch ship in search of a notary, she now boarded a French ship – to seek redress in Paris, the capital of a country where she had never been. She returned with let‐ ters from the Ministry in Paris supporting her case. Fort Oranje Her quest to secure Des Roses’ legacy for herself and her children was successful. In 1685, Des Roses’ plantation (that she operated together with ›
P AGE 5 S UMMER S PECIAL / T AXES
F RANCOISE
AND HER
August 31, 2009
R OSES
the Governor himself) was the grandest operation in the colony. Her daughter married the son of a mar‐ quis, family of the governor. Like his father, her son became Commander of a Fort Oranje, only this one in French Guyana, a former Dutch fort on the river Oya‐ pock on the border with Brazil.
En route to the site of Fort Oranje (middle of the picture) in French Guyana where Gabriel jr. became
T ALKIN ’ B LUES
S TATIA N EWS
ABOUT
In 1737, he owned a house in town, two plantations and some 67 slaves. His sons referred to him as the first Creole (locally born) to become an officer. Her grandson, “Creole, strong, robust” and “very intelli‐ gent,” became captain of the militia and was one of the first to develop the cultivation of coffee in French Guyana. But Françoise herself did not fare so lucky. In 1690 she remarried – with the Knight Jean de Griffolet, Lieutenant‐Major of the Cayenne garrison. Six months after the wedding, the governor caught De Griffolet beating the pregnant Françoise and forcing her to jump from a first floor gallery! De Griffolet was locked up in the fort and later sent away to “the islands.” In 1701, it turned out Françoise had sold parts of the family estate to pay for the debts (7,000 – 8,000 French pounds!) her new husband had made in France. Françoise died in 1705. She was buried inside the church of Cayenne, next to the pulpit.
B ACK T AXES
Joshua Spanner and Bernard Schmidt had a discusssion with Koos Sneek about the taxes. They all wonder, why, after 54 years of no proper taxation, we suddenly have to learn how to pay our Antillean taxes. They say the local government never did their best to properly collect the taxes. The inspectorate was in Sint Maarten and never paid much attention to the taxes of Statia. They realize every‐ body has to pay taxes, but the overall conclusion is that this exercition is not to be done. They say you can not punish the people for mistakes the local government has made. They suggest it would be better to levy the taxes of 2008 and 2007, because going back to 2004 is not to be done, especially since a lot of people do not have an administra‐ tion and do not even have a Cribnumber. They cite Mr. Julian Woodley, who once said that only people with gov‐ ernment jobs pay taxes. They also said that the inspectorate of Sint Maarten has made a lot of mistakes or is missing a lot of information. Guidance for Statians with administrating their business is very necessary. They also urge people to check if they have a right for a refund. They say that people are not aware of that.
They urge everybody to go to the tax office, get a crib number and if they have an assessment that is not accu‐ rate, the inspectors will help. Even if you have your ad‐ ministration in a shoe box, or even if you have no admini‐ stration at all. Koos Sneek said he had been to the tax office several times and the inspectors only had 10% of the people they had send assessments to, coming to the office. Statianews went there too and it was confirmed that not much people show up. They will visit the people that do not react and they said that at the inspectorate of Sint Maarten hired an extra person that is working for the taxes of Saba and Statia. You can get a form at the tax office where you can protest against your assessment. The taxoffice is aware of the problems and will try to help people as much as they can. They did not react to Mr. Hookers’ remark about first collecting taxes before giving back taxes. If you have a right for a refund, you must get that, the tax office is just applying the rules and has noth‐ ing to do with where money must come from.
P AGE 6 T AXES
August 31, 2009
S TATIA N EWS
R EPORT T OWN H ALL M EETING I NFORMATION C ENTER T AXES Date: August 18th 2009 Place: Lions Den By: Koos Sneek General The purpose of this town hall meeting was to introduce the staff of the recently opened Information Center for Taxes in St. Eustatius and explain the services offered. The center is working on behalf of the Tax Inspectorate of St. Maarten. The reason to open this center is to improve the service to the community of Statia. One can visit the office and they will assist with all tax related issues. Through this there will be no longer a need to call or visit the Tax Inspectorate in St. Maarten. The center is there solely for the purpose to assist with the present Antillean taxes and has nothing to do with the new tax system to be introduced after the island becomes a BES island and an integrated part of The Netherlands. It was explained that over the years a serious backlog has occurred both as a result of not enforcing the tax collection and non‐compliance from the part of the tax payers. Taxes are not filed, assessments are not paid and many taxpayers are not registered. The center is assisting the government to eliminate the backlog. Summons and assessments The center handles income tax, wage tax, turnover tax and profit tax. The law allows the Inspectorate to go back a maximum of 5 years (until 2004). Income tax For the income tax summons have been sent out for the years 2004 to 2007. Also the tax return forms for the year 2008 have been sent out. Wage tax and AVBZ For the wage tax and AVBZ assessments have been sent out for the years 2007 and 2008. Also wage tax assess‐ ments for 2009 have been mailed out. Turnover tax For the turnover tax assessments have been sent out for 2005 until March 2009. Profit tax No forms have been sent out yet. AOV/AWW Assessments for AOV/AWW are sent out by SVB. Protest letters can also be sent through the Information Center of Taxes
OF
Collection All persons and companies that have received summons and/or assessments are urged to contact the service cen‐ ter. They generally have until September 1st to do so. At the center they will be explained what is exactly expected from them and they can make arrangements like getting extra time to comply with the assessments and summons. One is advised not to pay the assessments until every‐ thing has been straitened out with the Information Cen‐ ter. Everyone is strongly advised to visit the center. When you don’t visit the center and also do not pay your taxes (this has to be done by the receiver’s office) then the Collection Officer will pay you a visit and will give you a limited time still to comply and pay or make payment arrangements with the receiver’s office. If this has been ignored the Marshall will pay you a visit and decides which possessions in your home or business will be con‐ fiscated and publicly sold to cover your tax debt. It has been stressed that this is a measure of last resort and the Inspectorate would want to avoid this. Reaction by the public In general it became clear that many are ignorant about the obligation to pay tax and the manner how and when one has to file and pay their tax. Also many individuals and companies are not registered by the Tax Inspector‐ ate. It was explained that this is mandatory. At this point in time only summons and assessments have been sent out to registered tax payers. This is felt by many as unjust since the non‐registered companies and persons remain off the hook (at least for the time being). The difference of wage tax and income tax was not clear by many. Wage tax is deducted from the salary by the employer. It is his obligation to pay this tax. Wage tax is actually income tax paid in advance. Income tax return forms need to be filed annually by each individual. Be‐ sides regular wages here also any other income needs to be reported (such as rental income) as well as certain expenses can be deducted. Many are not aware of the possibilities to deduct certain expenses and to be eligible for tax refunds. Commissioner Hooker explained that there is about 2 million guilders to be paid out in refunds. He claims the government does not pay this because there is also about 10 million guilders in taxes still to be collected.
**********************
P AGE 7 P OLITICS /T AXES /S PORTS
R UMORS
AND
August 31, 2009
S TATIA N EWS
T RANSPARANCY
The facts: Mr. Frederic Gibbs and Mrs. Monique Brown were recommended by the island council for the position of Lt. Governor of St. Eustatius. The rumor: Our acting Lt. Governor (waarnemend gezaghebber), Mr. Gerald Berkel will be the next Lt. Governor. The rumor is difficult to check: When Statianews called Mr. Hooker for clarification is this matter, he said he knows Mr. Berkel was recommended and that he was not recommended by the island council. He could not tell who recommended him. He also could not tell at which point in the procedure we are now. Is his recommendation approved by Mr. Goedgedrag? Does Mrs. Bijleveld know about his recommendation? Mr. Hooker could not tell. The facts: In the notitie uitgangspunten wet open‐ bare lichamen bes, it is explained that there will be a “bestuursorgaan” between the Kingdom and the public entities that Statia, Saba and Bonaire will be. This bestuursorgaan will fall directly under the Dutch Minister of Internal Affairs and that will be the “Rijksvertegenwoordiger”. Mr. Kamp was appointed as a temporary Rijksvertegenwoordiger, to
L ETTER TO D E J AGER THE N EW T AXES
“smoothen” the transition period. One of the tasks of this “Rijksvertegenwoordiger”, could be accord‐ ing to the notitie: “Opmaken van een aanbeveling voor de benoeming van gezaghebbers en van een voorstel voor herbenoeming van gezaghebbers.” Now Mr. Kamp is not a true Rijksvertegenwoordi‐ ger, because the job with all the authority it will have, does not exist yet. The rumor: Mr. Kamp recommended Mr. Berkel to Mrs. Bijleveld. Statianews is not in the habit to spread rumors, but Statianews does have the intention of opening dis‐ cussions and looking after transparency in govern‐ ment. So Statianews will talk to Mr. Kamp next Wednesday. Talk to him! And we hope that more people will: Everybody on Statia can talk to Mr. Kamp on Wednesday. All you have to do is call 3183370 and they will put you on the list. He will be available from 2 to 3 p.m. Until now Mr. Kamp only has two appointments. So call the RSC and talk to him!
ABOUT
The St. Eustatius Business Association (STEBA) to‐ gether with the Saba Business Association (SBA) have sent a letter to State Secretary of Finance, Mr. de Jager. In this letter they express their concern about the new Tax Laws. In Statianews, these comments about these tax laws have been described by Koos Sneek. On our website www.statianews.com you can find these articles. STEBA and SBA are concerned that the new laws will be implemented with little knowl‐ edge of the actually situation on the islands and with‐ out taking the unique situation of the islands into account. The letter was sent July 28, and no answer has been given. They are thinking of other ways to make the Netherlands aware of their concerns.
Wrong pictures! This is NOT the place to go to for infor‐ mation about the New Taxes. Here, they only work un‐ der the Antillean Tax regime.
August 31, 2009
P AGE 8 L OCAL N EWS
M AZINGA
ON THE
S TATIA N EWS
B AY
For months already, Wim de Jong and his crew are working on that little warehouse on the bay. Some‐ times you see Leontine and Tony Durby working there too in the weekends. Not so long ago, they were sitting there every weekend, hammering ce‐ ment from the old bricks. They are renovating that old building to make “Mazinga on the Bay”, a second giftshop (we already have a Mazinga in Oranjestad) with a small apartment attached to it.
Jim Coffey together with Clem John.
They are so low‐key about it, that nobody pays atten‐ tion to their work. But if you ask Leontine about it, she gets very passionate. It has been her and Tony’s longtime dream to renovate this building. “These old buildings supposed to be Statia’s pride and we want to contribute to their preservation.” They started out in this building with their diveshop “the Happy Hooker” in the 70’s and 80’s. A lot of people remember the good times they had there. The building has been deserted since the nineties and finally will come in use again. If you think about it, this building will actually be the first building on Statia that will be completely reno‐ vated in the old style. Leontine and Tony decided to ask professionals to do research. You can check their report on www.statianews.com In this report you can find some beautiful paintings and pictures of what lower town looked like in the glory days of Statia. The research that was done, reveals a lot about Statia’s colonial past. In this report you can read that Statia’s lower town is undoubtly one of the best preserved 18th century trade districts of the Caribbean. The Mazinga on the Bay building is believed to be the headquarters for the West Indies Company and it
was likely constructed sometime in the 1730s. A full archaeological report by Secar is forthcoming. Last Friday August 28, the Masonary crew has started. Jim Coffey and Randy Henry from “Walter Associates” are working very hard to first strengthen those parts of the building that are im‐ portant for the structure. When they are finished with all the masonary, the building will look exactly how it looked in the 1730’s. “Walter Associates” has won several awards in the US for their restorations. For Mazinga on the Bay they do not use normal cement, but the mixture with lime that was used in the old days. Wim de Jong will plaster the inside
walls with this same material, that was developed back then to resist the Caribbean weather. When you want to follow the restoration, go to www.mazingaonthebay.com ‹
P AGE 9 O PINION
R EPLY
TO
August 31, 2009
S TATIA N EWS
M R . B ERNARD S CHMIDT
Thursday night on Talkin’ Blues, CTC tv, the program was about taxes. Before the actual discussion started, Mr. Bernard Schmidt, co‐host had some remarks to make. “Mr. Kamp shows not enough respect..” was one of them, the other one was: “The language of instruction within the schools should be Dutch…” To start my discussion about these issues, I will write in Dutch. We are all Dutch, aren’t we and I’m not so good in English. Dus, geachte heer Bernard Schmidt, zal ik mijn ana‐ lyse van uw woorden in het Nederlands uiteen zet‐ ten. Uitpraten met Meneer Kamp Wat u wil van De heer Kamp is dat hij met meerdere mensen wat langer praat. U vindt het een teken van disrespect dat er een lijstje is waar maar een aantal mensen op kunnen staan die vervolgens 10 minuten met Kamp kunnen spreken. Als Meneer Kamp nou 4 september de hele middag in Super Burger gaat zitten om met iedereen te praten die maar met hem wil praten en als hij zijn telefoon nummer bekend maakt zodat ie ook zomaar te bereiken is en als hij wat vaker op de lokale radio en televisie in inbelprogramma’s gaat zitten, zou het dan goed zijn? Ik denk het niet, want er zijn meer redenen waarom u en andere mensen het moeilijk hebben met Me‐ neer Kamp. Wat wel goed is, is om het uit te praten. Ik denk dat Meneer Kamp open staat voor grieven en zijn best zou willen doen om mensen die zich tekort‐ gedaan voelen tegemoet te komen. Als het redelijk is, tenminste… Onderwijs en Taal Het tweede punt is onderwijs. Volgens Bernard Schmidt zijn onze kinderen beter af met onderwijs in het Nederlands. Ik persoonlijk ben het daar niet mee eens. Waar het volgens mij om gaat is dat onze kin‐ deren goed onderwijs krijgen. Dat is een heel inge‐ wikkeld iets omdat onze kinderen op een Caribisch eiland opgroeien.
Nederland heeft gefaald Ze zijn Nederlands en moeten dezelfde kansen heb‐ ben als de kinderen in Nederland. Het is om heel verdrietig van te worden als je ziet hoe slecht ieder‐ een hier is onderwezen. Er zijn veel mensen die hier op school zijn geweest en die niet kunnen lezen en schrijven. Er zijn kinderen die in groep acht van de basisschool zitten en die niet kunnen lezen en schri‐ jven. Er is geen remedial teacher, geen extra hulp in de klassen. De werkvloer van het onderwijs is nooit direct geholpen. Dat is de fout van Nederland. Ned‐ erland had de Antilliaanse schoolinspectie moeten aansturen. Dat is het minste wat ze hadden moeten doen. De leerkrachten het te zwaar. Er wordt geen goede structuur geboden. Er is niet een goed lespro‐ gramma waar ze zich aan moeten houden en er is geen sterke leiding die alle scholen onder zich heeft. Dit zijn problemen die onmiddellijk aangepakt moeten worden. Dus wat is daarvan gekomen? Er is nu een generatie ontstaan van kinderen die ouders en grootouders hebben die allemaal geen goed onderwijs hebben gehad. Niemand kan van deze ouders en grootouders verwachten dat ze hun kind kunnen helpen met school. Wat niet mag gebeuren is dat er een tweedeling ontstaat van mensen die nooit verder zullen komen en mensen die veel meer kansen krijgen. De taalkwestie is daarin instrumenteel. De jongens en meisjes van de AGO hoeven geen Nederlands te kennen om de lessen te volgen. Alles is in Engels, niets hoeft in het Nederlands gedaan te worden. Niemand weet of deze kinderen slim of dom zijn. Misschien is er iets aan de hand waardoor ze con‐ centratiemoeilijkheden hebben, misschien zijn ze dyslectisch, misschien hebben ze grote psychische problemen of misschien zijn ze slim, maar lui. Taal Het is algemeen bekend dat je pas een nieuwe taal kan leren als je EEN taal goed beheerst. In Neder‐ land is uitgewezen dat kinderen waarvan de ouders Marokkaans zijn, maar die in Marokko goed opge‐ leid zijn en daardoor de taal correct aan hun ›
P AGE 10 O PINION
R EPLY
TO
August 31, 2009
S TATIA N EWS
M R . B ERNARD S CHMIDT
kinderen overdragen, veel sneller het Nederlands meester worden dan andere Marokkaanse kinderen met ouders die het Berbers minder goed machtig zijn. Ik ben voor het Engels als instructietaal omdat dat helpt om het Engels goed en correct machtig te worden. Met die sterke basis leer je het Nederlands makkelijker aan. Met een goede cursus Nederlands op de middelbare school en wat voorbereidend werk op de lagere school moet het Nederlands moet dit mogelijk zijn. Als de kwaliteit van het Engels maar goed is, en dat is een probleem. Veel Nederlanders en Surinamers die hier lesgeven spreken niet vloeiend Engels zoals een Engelstalig opgevoed iemand dat spreekt. Naar de toekomst Bernard Schmidt en veel mensen van zijn generatie willen terug naar vroeger. Toen had school een belangrijkere rol in het leven van de kinderen. We moeten vanuit de huidige realiteit verder en een plan maken voor de toekomst. Dat zegt iedereen de hele tijd, maar ik heb nog nergens een structureel plan gezien. Ik heb er zelf wel een. Een grote publieke basisschool en een publieke middelbare school en een goede MBO. Al deze scholen zijn publiek, maar geen ge‐ meentescholen. Er moet een bestuurslaag gecreerd worden, een tweede Rijksvertegenwoordiger die zich alleen met onderwijs bezighoudt. Ik bedenk dit plan alleen voor Statia. Saba en Bonaire moeten zelf met een oplossing komen en hebben misschien heel an‐ dere maatregelen nodig. De Wolbes moet voor St. Eustatius een aanvulling krijgen. Een mini bes‐ tuurslaagje voor onderwijs. Nederland moet voor het onderwijs rechtstreeks verantwoordelijk zijn, niet alleen voor het geld, maar ook voor de inhoud. Niet alleen controleren of men zich aan de onderwijswet houdt, maar actief zich bezighouden met het pro‐ gramma. Hij moet hiervoor een plan maken en verantwoording af kunnen leggen aan de Tweede Kamer. Statia moet dus zorgen dat ze vertegen‐ woordiging heeft in de Tweede Kamer.
Deze ingreep is naar mijn mening noodzakelijk om‐ dat de inhaalslag die we moeten maken te groot en te moeilijk is. Directie en leraren werken nauw samen met deze Onderwijs Rijksvertegenwoordiger. Een bestuur hoeft de school niet te hebben. Ouders zijn vertegenwoordigd in de ouderraad, Leraren in de lerarenraad en de locale overheid heeft ook een stem. Er is dan overleg tussen die verschillende raden en de Onderwijs Rijksvertegenwoordiger. De andere nauwe samenwerking is met bureau Jeugd en Gezin dat ook een sterke invloed moet houden na de transitie. De aan te nemen sociaal werkers en de psychiater en remedial teacher en misschien nog anderen, werken allemaal samen, daar is al een plan voor gemaakt. (zie Statianews 12, pag. 6 en 7) Sport Statiaanse leerlingen moeten op hun tenen gaan lopen, er moet competitie binnen de school, binnen de klas komen en SPORT moet heel belangrijk worden. In Nederland zijn ze daar een enorme cam‐ pagne over aan het maken en niet alleen in het on‐ derwijs, ook VWS is daarmee bezig en werkt samen met OCW. Richard Kraijcek maakt deel uit van dat platform. Ook muziek en kunstonderwijs moet door gespe‐ cialiseerde mensen gedaan worden, die het door‐ trekken naar de rest van de gemeenschap. Naschoolse opvang enzo. Voor goed onderwijs heb je veel mensen nodig die allemaal hun specialisatie hebben. Zo is het in Ned‐ erland ook. In Nederland heb je op de basisscholen aparte leraren voor gym, muziek en kunst. Er ko‐ men allerlei theater– en muziekgroepen met work‐ shops langs en kinderen worden blootgesteld aan interessante educatieve uitjes en museumbezoek. Een divers aanbod. Statia is niet zo divers, maar moet diverser gemaakt worden. Kinderen moeten klaargemaakt worden voor de wereld. Statia maakt deel uit van de wereld. Culturen buiten het Caribisch gebied moeten ze ook leren kennen. ›
P AGE 11 O PINION
R EPLY
TO
August 31, 2009
S TATIA N EWS
M R . B ERNARD S CHMIDT
Je moet zorgen dat je in het contact met Nederland zorgt dat het mes aan twee kanten snijdt. Er moeten win‐win relaties komen. Bijvoorbeeld bij de samenwerking met Nederlandse MBO’s en HBO’s en andere instellingen die de Statia case study van gestage groei en ontwikkeling zien als een uitdaging en een proeftuin van Nederlandse ontwikkelingen. De brede school bijvoorbeeld, waar ze het altijd over hebben. Die kun je hier heel makkelik creeren.
Luister naar de werkvloer Onderwijs begint op de werkvloer en de leerkrachten van de basisscholen en de middelbare school moeten veel meer gehoord worden.
N EW P RESS C ONFERENCES
BY
The Government Information Service has created the possibility to have a one on one discussion with our elected officials. The first press conference will be Tuesday September 8, from 9.30—10.30 and will be hosted by the honourable Lt. Governor Mr. Hy‐ den Gittens. The idea is to have a monthly press con‐ ference in which an elected official from within the
En ook ouders en leerlingen moeten gehoord worden, het gebeurt al een beetje, maar het onder‐ wijs moet bij wijze van spreken iedere dag bespro‐ ken worden! (sorry dat ik zo eigenwijs ben, maar ik kan het niet laten! Ik was leraar maatschappijleer in Nederland!) Annemieke Kusters (I’m sorry, Mr. Schmidt, that this reply is so long..) ‹
G.I.S. Executive Council will answer questions of the press. The idea is to commence in 2010 if necessary with weekly conferences, so that the community can be fully enlightened on developments within government that will affect the community. (source: email GIS)
The honourable Lt. Governor Mr. Hyden Gittens with the first lady Mrs. Sylvana Gittens. praying at Queensday April 30, 2009. In the back, Mr. Gerald Berkel, acting Lt. Governor. (picture by Jan van Duren)
August 31, 2009
P AGE 12 S PORTS
T HE S OCCER G AME
ON
S ATURDAY
IN
S TATIA N EWS
S T . M AARTEN
Paul Fletcher, team manager and coach: The Experience “The good thing about this game was the experi‐ “On behalf of Statia Soccerteam, I would like to say a ence on the big field. The team was somewhat anx‐ special thanks to the people who made our trip to St. ious because of their lack of experience. But as said: Maarten a success. To Mr. Carl Buncamper and Mrs. Grace Halley who gave us a special air fare to travel on Winair and to the girls of Winair who helped us Sunday morning with our problems of coming back. They were patient with us and we didn’t have to pay extra for the different flight we had to take. We are thankful to Lady Alida Francis, to Mr. Don Mitchell of Superburger, to Un‐ cle Zaandam and all the others that sup‐ ported us.” “ I am very grateful for this opportunity to play soccer in St. Maarten, because it helps us showcase our talented soccer players, and we are hoping to travel to St. Maarten periodically to play in the soccer competi‐ tion from Oct. 2009 to March 2010.” The Game Same picture as last week, no pictures made in St. Maarten. Romario “Our team was playing on the big field, is the one with the green shirt and white pants. In St. Maarten the eleven against eleven. They were playing team played in shirts donated by JAC, a footballteam from Schevenin‐ against a very good team, that is playing gen in Holland. together for years now. In spite of the fact They will do better next time.” that our guys are inexperienced on the big field, they stood up against this team. This was the first time this new team was playing out and some of the team “I want to take the team to St. Kitts in two or three weeks time. We went there already and it will be members are unfamiliar with each other. It was really good for the team.” good to have some of the guys from Saba on the team, because we didn’t have enough players. In my opinion these guys will do a better job next time.” The name “As soon as Statia’s soccerteam will have a real goal‐ When asked why Mr. Fletcher doesn’t use the name keeper, it will be a different ballgame. IBOS anymore, he said that everybody is calling the Francisco Dembrook is a good goalkeeper. He did a team the Statia Soccer team and that the team is wonderful job in the field, and if it weren’t for this actually the selection of Statia’s soccer players. guy from St. Maarten who took up the job to goal keep, we would have had a different game. Francisco would have done much better. Miller was perform‐ ing excellent as the last man, doing a great job in the defense. Romario was playing in the midfield doing a good job combining. Next time he should take some shots from distance. Scott was living up to his reputa‐ tion on the left side.”
P AGE 13 M USIC
R OOTSRIDERS
August 31, 2009
ARE COMING FOR TRUE
The Rootsriders were planning to play on Statia Au‐ gust 5, but this performance was postponed. They are coming for true now on September 9, that is on a Wednesday night at the Lions’ Den. They will per‐ form on Friday in Curacao at Mambo Beach and on Saturday in Bonaire at The Waterfront.
Rootsriders
They will bring a cameraman to shoot a video for a new track, they will mainly be shooting on Statia. They have a lot of material on youtube, if you want to check them out, go to: BRAND NEW! Tribute2BobMarley live at Melkweg Amsterdam December 9, 2008: http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzSvEoSLNHs BRAND NEW! Tribute2BobMarley ‐ Jamming (ft Leona, Irepeat and others): http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=IooiY0434LI Rootsriders Music Video 111rd World (new sin‐ gle): http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ip3Iqyhz8pU Rootsriders in Africa: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=eKg‐I4C4scc BRAND NEW! Rootsriders ‐ Live medley So Much More (new album): http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=P9_yqn4LtTI Tribute2BobMarley live at DWDD (nr. 1 talkshow Holland): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k‐ P0VrS3qH8 Tribute2BobMarley ‐ Could You Be Loved (live at fes‐ tival): http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ymDvua4n2yk
S TATIA N EWS
S EPTEMBER 9 !!!!!!!
The Rootsriders are one of the best Bob Marley music performers, two people from Statia are part of it: Tamara Rous and Ronchi Rous. They went to Africa a couple of times and they also tour in Europe and in India. They also went to Curacao. They have never performed on the Windward Is‐ lands. Next Febuary they will return to the area until the Heineken Regatta in March. Tickets are for sale at the gate $ 15 and for presale $ 10. You can get the tickets at Superburger, Maz‐ inga and Double Lucky. The revenues will go en‐ tirely to the Auxiliary Home and to Chapel Piece Recreational Centre. This year it was difficult to find sponsors for the Roots Foundation, who organized this concert. They have been organizing concerts since 1987. Tania Stevens from Jamaica was here, Small Ax from St. Kitts, Better band from Anguilla and there were two concerts featuring Ziggy, who is from Statia and won the “Zilveren Harp” in Holland last year. The Roots Foundation wants to emphasize that all the money they collect always went to the Auxiliary home. This year is the first time they will sponsor Chapel Piece too. So come out Wednesday night for a great musical experience with your fellow Statia men, women and teenagers. The teenagers will promise to get up early to go to school on Thursday! Only grandmoth‐ ers stay at home with the babies and little ones! Let us all go! (Joshua) ‹
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