Monday evening saw the start to a week-long schedule of presentations and events by the Saba Ar­cheological Center Foun­dation and the Saba Heri­tage Center to mark Black History Month.

“These gatherings are dedicated to educating and raising awareness among the Saban public about the history of the transatlantic slave trade and Saba’s role within it,” said Sharifa Bal­four, Director of Saba Ar­cheological Center Foun­dation.

Dr. Ryan Espersen kicked off the week’s events with the launch of his new book “Better Than We: Land­scapes and Materialities of Race, Class, and Gender in Pre-Emancipation Saba, Dutch Caribbean”.

The book focuses on the materiality of Saba’s landscape during the pre-emancipation colonial pe­riod and shares insight into archaeologies of poverty and variations between low class and slavery.

A total of 1,500 free cop­ies of the book have been made available through a contribution by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Cul­ture and Science OCW and will be distributed to each household on the island.

During the opening re­marks, Island Governor Jonathan Johnson said of the book, “It is something that is very important to us, because we also need to acknowledge the past and learn from it, move forward and do better.”

Culture Commissioner Eviton Heyliger said: “This book is not just about our past, but our future, re­minding us of the resil­ience, struggles and contri­butions of those who came before us.”

Heyliger gave special thanks to Dr. Espersen for his dedication to uncover­ing and sharing Saba’s his­tory.

Balfour took the opportu­nity to also share updates from the foundation, saying the goal since her arrival in Saba in July 2023 has been to “develop impactful pub­lic programming focused on the transatlantic slave trade and its enduring leg­acy.”

She announced that Saba Archaeological Center Foundation has secured ap­proximately US $625,000 from the Dutch Central Bank DNB, the OCW Min­istry, the Dutch Ministry of Home Affairs and King­dom Relations BZK and the National Institute for the Study of Dutch Slavery and its Legacy NiNsee.

With this funding the foun­dation will host a series of speakers through 2026, ad­dressing topics that inter­sect with slavery, including health, finance, education, and the experiences of women, as well as the un­veiling of a comprehensive exhibition at the Saba Heri­tage Center that will delve into the transatlantic slave trade, highlighting the ex­periences of Sabans and the broader Dutch diaspora.

Additionally, on Friday, the foundation will unveil the first of four slavery themed “Adopt-A-Box”
storyboards, made by Sea and Learn Foundation. A new box will be unveiled each quarter, said Balfour.

Additionally, the founda­tion launched its new web-site, and the centrepiece of the foundation’s efforts is a state-of-the-art Saba Heri­tage and Research Center, which will funded by DNB. This will be a collaborative endeavour of Saba Archae­ological Center Founda­tion, the public entity Saba, Queen Wilhelmina Library, and the Saba Archives, Bal­four explained.

Balfour said special men­tion had to be made of the work that had been done by the Colleccion Aruba, and its partner organisations, the National Library of Aruba and the National Archives of Aruba, for making more than 1,300 documents and photographs pertaining to Saba dating back to the 1800s available on their website. Moreover, the foundation recently received 150,000 euros from Mondriaan Fonds and its Caribbean Heritage Employees initia­tive.

“This funding will allow us to expand our team, ensur­ing that we have the exper­tise necessary to develop and complete these critical projects,” said Balfour.

The Daily Herald.