SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) – Lemonade B.V., a new Caribbean startup based in St. Maarten with a mission to unlock the full potential of the cultural and creative industries as a driver for sustainable development has begun work on a groundbreaking cultural practice research project—titled ‘Where Culture Lives.’ The research, to be conducted and completed over the next 10 months, will document and analyze cultural and heritage practices across Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Statia and St. Maarten.
The initiative has been commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). Lemonade has presented comprehensive project proposals during the bidding process and will collaborate closely with OCW and selected Caribbean partners & advisory platforms as the chosen entity for this research endeavor.
The interdisciplinary team of Caribbean experts who bring together years of cultural knowledge, policy and academic research experience, is led by former Minister, Member of the Dutch Second Chamber and founder of Lemonade, drs. Jorien Wuite and includes Project coordinator drs. Elton Villareal, a consultant with Trininc from Curaçao, Lead researcher Dr. Gregory Richardson, a cultural anthropologist and researcher from Aruba and Lead researcher Ludmila Duncan, MSc., former Member of Parliament in St. Maarten and consultant with Scriptis based in the Netherlands.
The research team will be working closely with key partners and knowledge institutes including the University of St. Martin, Stichting NAAM in Curaçao, and the Boekmanstichting in Amsterdam. Supported by an advisory platform, the team ensures the study is well-informed, culturally grounded, and based on solid research practices.
“We are excited to be able to conduct this important research across the six islands. It’s about creating a map of how our Caribbean people practice culture, how our communities engage with music, dance, art, practice heritage, how cultural education is organized and what the creative realities of our islands look like. It’s not just data gathering for the sake of it—it’s storytelling, and we hope that at the end of this project, everyone in the cultural, heritage, creative and government sectors will be able to have deeper and meaningful insights of what’s happening and what’s needed to make changes in the interest of cultural engagement and further development of our cultural sectors,” said Jorien Wuite, director and shareholder of recently established Lemonade BV.
Where Culture Lives explores how people across the islands engage with cultural education, amateur arts, and heritage—both formally and informally. The project team is excited to have teamed up with each other for this project and opportunity and hopes that the findings will help shape future cultural policy and lay the groundwork for long-term monitoring and support of the sector. “We’ve never had a baseline like this before. It’s important to have solid, locally informed data to support the cultural policies on our islands,” said Gregory Richardson. By centering local voices and working in collaboration with island stakeholders, the research team aims to foster a shared understanding of how culture lives, breathes, and evolves in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
“We’re doing this out of love for our islands—for the visual artists, the dancers, the teachers, and students who want to be seen, heard, and understood,” said Ludmila Duncan. “This research gives us a clear picture of how the cultural sector functions and shows where support is most needed.”
The findings aim to inform cultural policy across the six islands and in the Netherlands and spark broader conversations in the region about identity, community, and creative growth.
“With this kind of information, we can explore new ways to collaborate across the arts, culture, and heritage sectors,” added Elton Villarreal. “We’ll be able to see how the islands can support one another—and that’s powerful in today’s world.”
The research team is currently making the first preparations and are excited with progress made as they are looking forward to collaborating with local organizations and governments across the islands to collect data. Local ownership and community participation is essential, and the team will organize media activities and reach out actively so key participants will actively share their experiences and perspectives on cultural and heritage practices.
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