Minister Plenipotentiary Jorien Wuite ambassador for Black Achievement Month.
THE HAGUE--St. Maarten’s Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague Jorien Wuite is one of the ambassadors of Black Achievement Month (BAM) that kicked off on October 1.
As part of the promotion for the month-long string of activities that put black Dutch excellence and culture on mainstream podiums throughout the Netherlands, posters with her face on them have been appearing throughout the country. “Our heritage is our strength. Something we may display proudly. It is an absolute honour for me to be an ambassador to the worthy event that puts people who share my heritage centre stage,” said Wuite.
In its fourth year, Black Achievement Month is organized by National Institute for Dutch Slavery Remembrance and Heritage NiNsee. The event brings plays, shows, exhibitions and debate nights to five cities in the Netherlands, throughout the month of October. It is intended to “contribute to a balanced representation of people of African descent; their representation is too often determined by what was written and said about them during the days of slavery and colonialism.”
Wuite said that in her position as representative of Sint Maarten in the Netherlands, it behoves her to contribute to a proper representation of the descendants of the people from Sint Maarten who also contributed – albeit unwillingly – to what constitutes the Dutch Kingdom today. “Black culture helped to shape Dutch culture. The black community deserves its Black Achievement Month, not only to create more awareness of black achievement in the afro Dutch community, but also to inspire young black children to aspire for more. And, by boosting awareness Black Achievement Month helps to boost inclusivity.”
She said her participation ties into the cultural diplomacy of her office. “As a Caribbean country, we are a multi-layered society. Our blend makes that we have a lot to offer the world. My job here in the Netherlands is to represent St. Maarten in all its facets. And I will do that to the best of my abilities for as long as I am here to do that.” She smiled. “And while it makes me blush each time I see my face plastered on the Black Achievement Month posters, I also realise that this is free publicity for St. Maarten … these posters have been pasted all over the country.”
She hinted that she has a busy agenda in the coming weeks, with inspirational appearances at schools where she will talk to students of African descent, attending African film festival IAfrica and a talk at a Black Dutch entrepreneurship group, among other things.
Aside from Wuite, 7 other people have been appointed ambassadors for Black Achievement Month this year. Each of the ambassadors has been interviewed extensively for the Black Achievement magazine. In her expose, Wuite speaks extensively of St. Maarten, the challenges Hurricane Irma brought the island, what her job is as representative of the island in the Netherlands and her efforts to boost interest in St. Maarten’s business sector and spur more export of goods and services from St. Maarten. “Our talents are an export product. Our people have an opportunity to look beyond the shores of our island and use our capacity and skill to produce locally for an international customer base. We are working towards the strengthening of our Small and Medium Enterprises, to form partnerships with overseas companies,” she relayed.
