PRESS RELEASE | Premiere for Statia: first screening of ‘A Story of Bones’ within the Dutch territories

 

 [Persbericht in het Nederlands]

On Sunday, December 11, the St. Eustatius Afrikan Burial Ground Alliance organizes a screening of the documentary ‘A Story of Bones’ in the Lion’s Den for the community of St. Eustatius. It will be the first screening of the documentary within the Dutch territories.

The documentary ‘A Story of Bones’ tells the story about the remains of 325 so-called liberated Afrikans that were reburied in St. Helena Island in August this year. To encourage tourism, the island decided in 2008 to build its first commercial airport. Annina van Neel arrived from Namibia to help with the construction and is present when the remains of thousands of “freed slaves” are uncovered. Heeding her increasing discomfort with how the bones are handled, Annina campaigned tirelessly to honor their legacy and integrate them into the history of the island.

The similarities between St. Helena and St. Eustatius are striking. During the protests against the Golden Rock excavations, the Alliance came into contact with Annina and Peggy, and together they are now raising awareness around the globe for the unseen and untold narratives of many Afrikan burial grounds in the Americas. As the tagline of the documentary states: “It Matters How We Choose To Remember” and the message for us all is that what we often think is a local struggle is in fact a global one. And until it’s fought on a global level it can’t be resolved locally.

Date: Sunday, December 11, 2022
Time: 4 pm
Location: Mike van Putten Youth Center (Lion’s Den) St. Eustatius
Entrance: free, donations to cover the costs are welcome
 

PROGRAM:

• 4:00 pm – Opening & Welcome by Mr. Kenneth Cuvalay, President of the St. Eustatius Afrikan Burial Ground Alliance
• 4.02 pm – Moment of Honor and Remembrance for Our Ancestors by Mr. Kenneth Cuvalay
  
• 4:05 pm – Introduction by Mr. Tim de Haan, Information & Community Adviser Unesco Netherlands Commission in relation to the International Human Rights Day December 10.
• 4.10 pm – Screening of the documentary ‘A Story of Bones’
• 5.45 pm – Online screentalk with the film team: protagonist Ms. Annina van Neel (St. Helena), Afrikan burial grounds preservationist Ms. Peggy King Jorde (New York), and documentary director Mr. Dominic Aubrey de Vere (UK)
• 6:15 pm - Closing remarks by Mr. Kenneth Cuvalay
  

 

Questions the Alliance has for the audience are:

1. How do you think we should treat our Afrikan burial ground sites?
2. What do you want to learn about our Afrikan ancestral history in our schools and in the community?
3. How important is it to you to have a memorial dedicated to the Afrikan burial ground sites and what would you like to see?

Our special thanks go to Unesco Netherlands Commission and documentary director Dominic Aubrey de Vere for making this screening possible.

 

CONTACT

St. Eustatius Afrikan Burial Ground Alliance

Email steustatiusafrikanburialground@gmail.com

Facebook www.facebook.com/groups/steustatiusafrikanburialgroundalliance

Instagram @steustatiusafrikanburialground 

Whatsapp +599 319 4975