Webinar 'Preserving Endangered & Marginalized Afrikan Cultural Heritage'

TOPIC

Preserving Endangered & Marginalized Afrikan Cultural Heritage

GUEST SPEAKERS

Prof. Dr. Nemata Blyden – University of Virginia (US). Specialized in Afrikan American, Afrikan diaspora and Afrikan history. Prof. Dr. Blyden’s family origins and heritage are from St. Eustatius and she will touch the surface of the island for the first time in May.

Topic: Afrikan and American and Caribbean migrations and the impact on family history research and identity.

Associate Professor Dr. Kimani Nehusi – Temple University Philadelphia (US). Specialized in Afrikology and Afrikan American Studies.

Topic: Egyptology and how the memory of a Black Egypt had to be destroyed by Eurocentric academia. An introduction to Afrikology.

Dr. Artwell Cain – Independent researcher, cultural anthropologist, and founder of the Foundation for Cultural Knowledge & Identity (SCKI) Aruba. Specializes in the themes of Trans-Atlantic slavery and reparations, ethnicity, and identity.

Topic: The decolonization of memory and heritage.

Abstract: Memory is to know, recognize, respect, and venerate. How can this be possible when Transatlantic slavery memory is not decolonialized? In other words what is taken up in our construct of this memory? Can we truly and safely identify with this memory? How does it relate to what we accept as our heritage? The heritage of the burial ground and its content in St. Eustatius is connected to whose ancestors? To decolonize memory is to pursue a clean-up job relating to what we were taught and consequently brainwashed with.

PROGRAM

Welcome, opening & introduction speakers and introduction of the theme by Mr. Kenneth Cuvalay, President of the SE-ABG Alliance (10 minutes)Presentations invited speakers (10 minutes + additional 5 minutes Q&A)10-minute breakOpen floor: Interactive discussion with speakers and audience

TIME

• Amsterdam 8-10 pm (20-22:00 uur)
• St. Eustatius 2 4 pm (14-16:00 uur)

WEBINAR INTRODUCTION

When walking around St. Eustatius, colonial statues and plagues dominate the island's cultural landmarks. St. Eustatius' Afrikan cultural heritage is under threat and marginalized. This is despite the fact that St. Eustatius was once the largest Middle Passage transit port in the Western hemisphere, and the majority of its 3,500 inhabitants are of Afrikan descent. This situation is not unique to St. Eustatius and reflects the need for more awareness in education, research, and cultural heritage policies for an Afrikan-centered approach that the descendants’ communities can relate to.

In this webinar, our guest speakers will share their expertise in their own academic field, providing the audience with insight into the existing colonial structures, their impact on the writing of our history, and ideas on how to move from awareness to transformative equality and reparative justice.

This Webinar is part of the awareness activities of our Faro project "Community engagement in the endangered cultural heritage of St. Eustatius' slavery past" (in Dutch: Betrokkenheid erfgoedgemeenschap bij bedreigd erfgoed slavernijverleden Sint Eustatius)

REGISTRATION

You're welcome to join. Please register to receive the Zoom link via bit.ly/webinar-seabg