THE HAGUE – Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary Gracita R. Arrindell marked the end of the Slavery Memorial Year the day after the official Emancipation Day celebrations on July 1st by receiving the newly published book “From Slavery to Freedom” in her office in The Hague. 

Arrindell represented Sint Maarten at the National ceremony in Amsterdam that was attended by King Willem-Alexander and nine ministers of the then caretaker Dutch cabinet on their last day in office. 

The following day, Minister Arrindell was presented with the book, the first ever collection of stories and poetry on the subject by authors from both sides of the Atlantic, including Surinam.

The book is an initiative of Loeki Morales’ Beyond Futura Events Foundation, who is one of the contributors with a story about two enslaved young men running to their freedom on Sint Maarten. 

The publication was presented to Minister Arrindell by Walter Hellebrand from St. Eustatius whose story about the Statia Slave Revolt of 1848 is also featured in the book. Currently, the book is only available in Dutch under the title ‘Van Slavernij naar Vrijheid,’ but an English edition is being planned.

Important

“We appreciate this gesture from Hellebrand. It is important to have our bookshelves well stocked with literature that illustrates our shared history”, said Arrindel.