Saba celebrated Emancipation Day 2025 under the theme “We know because they spoke, gen­erations remember”.

As part of the pre-Eman­cipation Day celebrations on Monday evening Saba’s Heritage Center hosted a screening of the first episode in the docu-series “Awo Now Nu”, which fea­tures young voices from across the six Dutch Ca­ribbean islands, including Saba youth.

Directed by Roland Co­lastica, the docu-series ex­plores how today’s youth are engaging with and in­terpreting the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade. “We are proud to see our own young Sabans featured in this groundbreaking product,” said Saba Heri­tage Center Director Shari-fa Balfour.

Balfour said the evening was not only to commemo­rate a historic turning point in shared history, “but also to reflect on deep legacies of resistance, resilience and cultural expression that continue to shape our lives and identities today.”

Speaker for the evening was cultural anthropologist Dr. Gregory Richardson, who presented a public lec­ture on his research into how calypso and soca func­tion as forms of storytelling and resistance in the Dutch Caribbean, particularly in connection with emanci­pation. His presentation explored how traditional music and performances served as vital tools of ex­pression both then and now.

The main event to com­memorate Emancipation Day, at Princess Juliana Sports Field on Tuesday evening, included speeches, poetry, song and dance by Saban youth and elderly groups.

Guest speaker Nathania Engelhardt, co-founder and coach at Debate Edu­cation Foundation Cura­cao, addressed why it was important to recognise Emancipation Day.

“It’s not just to look back, but to look within and to look ahead,” she said. “If we don’t keep our story alive, we will lose a part of our identity, that thing that makes us us.”

She told those gathered that they each had a role to play, whether it be educators or politicians, on keep­ing the discussion alive. “We have to ask ourselves `what kind of ancestors do we want to become.’

Engelhardt facilitated a youth forum on Tuesday morning that focused on local heritage and how to keep it relevant.

The community is invited to view the temporary exhi­bition at the centre, which was donated by the Nation­al Slavery Museum of the Netherlands. The exhibi­tion features stories about different persons and objects that symbolise slavery, emancipation and freedom in the former Dutch colo­nies.

The Daily Herald.