Last Wednesday, the commemoration of the 177th anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery, entitled “Years after Emancipation – The Making of a Country,” took place in the village of Freetown, in Saint-Louis.
From 16 p.m., a fabulous cultural parade set the tone for the ceremony.
Then, until 19 p.m., Freetown welcomed the inhabitants of Saint-Martin, members of the Collectivité and the prefecture, as well as representatives of the territory's vital forces for this historic annual event, organized by the Collectivité.
As usual, the talented Natisha Hanson opened the ball with the Saint-Martinois anthem in front of several hundred people who came to pay tribute to the victims of slavery and the eminent Laurelle Richards, called “Yaya”.
Founder of the Rambaud Saint-Louis Women's Cultural Association and the Rambaud Saint-Louis Festival Committee, Yaya still embodies the cultural resistance of Saint-Martin.
Kathy Africa, representative of Neighborhood Council 3, gave the first speech: “We don't just celebrate freedom today. We defend it and live it every day.
The work is not finished.” In turn, the President of the Tourist Office, Valérie Damaseau, Senator Annick Petrus, President Louis Mussington, and Prefect Cyrille Le Vély delivered speeches tinged with hope and fraternity. Certificates of recognition were then presented to the families of local figures.
And, to close this commemorative day, a few wreaths of flowers were placed on the Yaya memorial before giving way to the students of the Aline Hanson school, the Daniella Jeffry vocational high school and the Hervé Williams school for a dance performance full of history(ies). _LM
https://faxinfo.fr/en/commemoration-lhistoire-en-memoire-la-liberte-en-heritage/
