On November 12 and 13 the St. Eustatius Public Library is hosting the exhibition of a young Haitian painter, sculpture, and digital artist residing in the Netherlands, Frederick Calmes.
The exhibition consists of twelve artworks created for the family heritage project “Remember Statia: Tracing Our Origins” organized by the Bigi Bon foundation and the St. Eustatius Afrikan Burial Ground Alliance from April to October 2024.
The artworks are also part of the “Remember Statia” special edition of AFRO Magazine also containing the stories of the participants of the project. Islanders and other people with a connection to the island delved into the slavery archives, looking for stories from their past. Some of the stories were translated into profound works of art by artist Frederick Calmes, who spent a month on the island as Artist-in-Residence in August this year.
Frederick Calmes: “The “Remember Statia” project has been a deeply meaningful experience for me. It wasn’t just about creating art—it was about bringing to life the stories of a community that holds a rich yet often untold history. Each illustration I’ve completed so far has allowed me to step into the world of the storytellers, feeling their memories as if they were my own.”
Kenneth Cuvalay, chairman of the St. Eustatius Afrikan Burial Ground Alliance, expressed his gratitude to all who contributed to the project. “It is important that we, the descendants of enslaved people, tell our own stories,” he said. “For this reason, we believe it is crucial to present the exposition to the residents of St. Eustatius first.”
The Afrikan burial grounds on St. Eustatius were discovered a few years ago during construction work at the island’s airport, after which the Alliance, led by Kenneth Cuvalay, took up the fight to prevent a team of international archaeologists from disrespectfully conducting research with the bones of African ancestors who were buried there according to African traditions.
Cuvalay also spearheaded the application for recognition to UNESCO on behalf of the Alliance in February 2022, and the government officials all expressed their gratitude for this.
Stories of the human remains, where they are currently stored and what the island population will do with them, are also included in the new AFRO Magazine publication.
The exhibition can be seen during the opening hours of the public library from 9 am to 5 pm. The exhibition will travel to the Netherlands at a later date – perhaps in January 2025 – at the office of AFRO Magazine in Weesp.
