PHILIPSBURG:— Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL), Division Education and Innovation (DEI), Division Public Education, and iSTEP Technology Team of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports – teamed up to unveil for the second time its project “ Learning Through Technology” at your Library. This was announced by the Minister of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports, the Honorable Drs. Rodolphe E. Samuel during the press briefing on Wednesday, November 4, 2020.
The origin of this phrase “ Without the past, there is no future” remains a mystery, but the message is clear―understanding where we are going comes from knowing where we’ve been. Stories of a nation’s heritage are passed down from generation to generation, but as with all storytelling, details are often lost along the way.
On November 9, 2020, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports via the iSTEP team, unveils for the second time an application (App) to explain culture. The main objective is to stimulate the local population, especially our young ones, to gain knowledge about our local culture and heritage. The official name of the project is: ‘Learning of Our Past Through Technology of the Future’.
Together we will stand, so in that spirit PJL and DEI/iSTEP have teamed up to bring this awesome experience to you at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library as we commemorate St. Maarten Day. The App will be part of the Cultural Heritage program of the Philipsburg Jubilee Library. As of November 9, 2020, your library will be hosting the program, and some essential elements of our cultural heritage will be virtually available for the general public.
How does it work? With your device, you can download a marker that is available at your library and enjoy a three-minute explanation of subjects like the history of Sint Maarten, the slavery era on St. Maarten, the importance of the Cul De Sac basin, the significance of the salt trade, an animated story on the significance of the wells and interviews and information on Mr. Emilio Wilson which includes a 2D image experience where persons can even take pictures with the 2D image of Mr. Emilio right in the APP.
What to expect? Just to give you a taster. You will learn about:
• Cul de Sac Basin and Rockland Estate through interviews by Dr. Jay Haviser.
• The animated story of Little Antoinette and the Well; the story and narration by local poet and author Tamara Groeneveldt.
• The Salt Mining: the story and narration by Clara Reyes.
• Emilio Wilson, with the narration by Cedric Peterson, video interviews by Elsje Bosch and Dennis Richardson on Mr. Wilson. There is also a 2D Interactive experience of Mr. Emilio Wilson.
This means, a one-stop experience at your Library to satisfy your heritage curiosity, with also an extensive Sint Maarten book collection with books like ‘Cul-de-Sac People’ by Mr. Mathias S. Voges, ‘Claude – a portrait of power’ by Fabian Badejo, and the well-illustrated book of Mr. Jose Speetjens: St. Martin ‘Yesterday, Today’. And, hopefully, in the future, your library will also feature historic manuscripts.
This is our message to the younger generations: “You need to study your past if you want to change your future”. To quote Winston Churchill: “A nation that forgets its past has no future”. Of course, it is important to realize that learning about your history is not about making any person or group feel guilty in the present. Don’t miss out on this wonderful experience at your Library.
