Min. Melissa Gumbs outlines some projects under slavery past Grant

GREAT BAY--Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS), Melissa D. Gumbs, has outlined some of the projects to be funded under the USD 5,351,132 grant recently awarded to Sint Maarten by the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the implementation of its National Action Agenda on the slavery past. The program was officially announced on Monday, and the Minister on Tuesday provided further details on the initiatives that will be carried out.

The grant, approved following a comprehensive proposal by the Department of Culture, will fund nine projects aimed at remembrance, education, and healing as part of the wider Kingdom-wide commemoration process. The Minister noted that the funding will be strategically distributed across multiple initiatives to ensure long-term impact, rather than concentrated on a single effort.

Among the projects to be implemented is the development of a national curriculum for the history of Sint Maarten, ensuring that culturally grounded and comprehensive history education is provided at all levels. Other initiatives include monument remapping with digital infrastructure, the restoration and enhancement of historical sites, installation of educational signage, and measures to secure the preservation of key monuments.

The grant will also support the transformation of the Philipsburg Cultural and Community Center into a resilient, multifunctional space; the launch of a Heritage Scholarship Program to encourage young people to pursue studies in culture and heritage fields; genealogical research to help descendants trace their lineage; and large-scale digitization to make colonial and postcolonial archives more accessible to the public.

The Minister stressed that the funds are earmarked exclusively for culture and heritage-related projects, as required under the grant’s conditions, and cannot be diverted to unrelated uses such as general building repairs. Discussions are ongoing with a potential fund manager to oversee the projects, in recognition of the capacity challenges within government to manage and execute them directly.

The overarching aim of the action agenda is to reposition cultural heritage as a foundation for national and regional development. The agenda focuses on recognition, structural investment in heritage, and comprehensive education, with the goal of strengthening the social fabric, supporting economic diversification, and preserving the island’s history for future generations.

The Ministry of ECYS, through the Department of Culture, will continue to engage with stakeholders as the projects move forward and will publish the full list of initiatives in the coming weeks. Regular updates will be provided as deliverables are achieved, with an emphasis on transparency and accountability.

The initial disbursement will be transferred in 2025 to support activities planned through the first quarter of 2026. Subsequent disbursements will be made annually through 2029 in accordance with the approved activity plan.

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