May 23, 2025 • 43 mins
In Awakening from the Echoes of the Past, we explore Stacia’s transformation from 2000 to 2025. From the quiet rumble of the Quill to the deep impact of 10-10-10, we trace how memory, gender, and governance intertwine. Featuring reflections from Governor Francis, historians, elders, and heritage experts, this episode uncovers the emotional legacies of post-emancipation grief and the unspoken costs of resilience. What happens when silence is no longer enough? How do women lead, heal, and preserve in the face of historical fracture? Through personal truths and public shifts, we ask what it takes to move from survival to liberation and how the echoes of the past can guide a freer future.
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Episode Transcript
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>>
What I like about Stacia?
You are free.
I am free. And
you can move how you want,
where you want, when to go.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (00:19):
Welcome to Whispers of the Past. I'm your host,
Fitavit. In this episode, awakening from
the echoes of the past, we step into the
2000s to 2025.
We begin with the land, volcanic,
alive. Beneath the soil of
Cintastasias, the quail sleeps. But
its silence is never empty. It
(00:41):
reminds us that even dormant truths still
carry pressure. And so does history.
These past 25 years have brought seismic
shifts. 10, 10, 10.
Constitutional change, the rise of women's
leadership, and the reckoning with enslaved,
unspoken legacy. But
(01:02):
transformation doesn't only take place in
parliaments or policies. It lives in
memory, in silence, in
the body, in the stories shared
across generations, in the voices
that until now lived on in the margins.
In this episode, we walk with those
(01:23):
voices, from governors and
grandmothers to historians and
heritage experts. We follow
the thread of gender and governance.
And we ask what happens when the past
speaks and we finally listen.
Before we talk about the people, the
(01:45):
politics or the power shifts,
we first look to the land.
Sintostatius, known for its quiet
rhythms and deep rooted resilience,
stands atop a sleeping giant.
Beneath the fertile hills and winding roads
of this tiny Dutch Caribbean island lies
(02:06):
the Quill, a dormant volcano
whose very presence reminds us that
transformation is always shimmering below the
surface. As we step into
the 21st century, the story of modern
day Stacia begins not only with laws and
leaders, but with the earth itself.
(02:26):
The landscape, both literal and symbolic,
continues to shift. We begin with
archaeologist Dr. Stelton, who explains
to us the Quill and what's to come.
>> Dr. Stelton (02:42):
So the Quill is dormant. So
the Quill is what's called the stratovolcano. The
Quill's last eruption was about 1600 years
ago. And it's not a matter of if, but when it will
erupt again. Because the process, that one
tectonic plate sliding under the other is a continuing
process that is ongoing to this day. Right?
So as we speak, pressure is building
(03:05):
up underneath our little island and underneath
St. Kitts and underneath Ceiba and, and underneath
Montserrat, et cetera, et cetera. And at some point the
volcano will erupt again. It's just a matter of when. We don't know.
It could be 10 years from now, could be a hundred, or it
could be 500 or 1,000. We just. Yeah, there's no way of knowing. Even
though the volcano will erupt again, that does not necessarily mean, of course,
(03:25):
that the island will be destroyed or something like that.
>> Ms. Sutekau (03:27):
Right.
>> Dr. Stelton (03:27):
It could be that there is a pyroclastic flow of hot
ash and gas that goes the other way. And even if
there is an explosion of that involves lava or
molten rock, that doesn't necessarily mean that it will engulf the whole
island.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (03:43):
Just as pressure beneath the surface builds quietly
until something must give, so too did the
political and social changes of early 2000.
Stacia begin to gather force.
In 2010, known across the Dutch
Caribbean as 101010 Sint
Eustace officially became a special
municipality of the Netherlands.
(04:07):
This was not a decision made lightly, nor a path
chosen freely. But in the face of
uncertainty, local voices,
especially those of women, rose with
clarity and conviction. It is
here we turn to Mrs. M. Sutekow, a long
term resident and one of the founders of the
center of Archaeology and research,
(04:29):
who reflects on the transformation of
governance, the evolving role of women in
politics and what it meant for Stacia to
step into a new identity, one shaped
by both resistance and reinvention.
>> Ms. Sutekau (04:47):
Well, of course, um, Stacia
continued to grow in the early 200,000
2010 we became part
of Holland. Um, 101010
will always be a date that we work from,
from backward and forward.
Good things came about. I think that our
(05:08):
education system, in our medical system
to a certain extent have mainly the
educational system have improved greatly.
Um, women were very much involved in that
period of time, in the transition and the transfer
over to, uh, our current
form of government. A lot of women
(05:28):
politicians during that period started their own
parties. Um, Nora
Snake for one, Ingrid Whitfield.
Other people who have been really
prominent in the political
landscape of Statia came to the forefront
in those periods of time.
Um, we have to have nothing but
(05:51):
pride and respect for the way the women on
the island and we can proceed on
m. Of course our Alita Francis as
governor, Governor Frances has made a huge
difference in that. This is a time
when I think the
women's role was more
(06:12):
appreciated and more seen. We have really
wonderful young female politicians coming
up now that we should be very proud of.
In the early 2000s
this was, I think one of the biggest things
that happened is that suddenly the
women in politics and station was really well
(06:32):
recognized
and the landscape on the island has
changed tremendously.
Um, it has become a lot more
expensive to live here. It has
become a time when there is a lot
of political, uh,
(06:53):
differences on the island.
I don't want to be critical, but I
think that the whole transfer could have
been done differently. Um, and
I think that there were a lot of mistakes made by the
Dutch during that period of time. But
I also think that people need
(07:14):
to realize that this was not Stacia.
We chose to become part, uh, stay part of the Netherlands until
that choice was not realistic if the other islands
weren't willing to do that. But the people of
Stacia spoke very
strongly that what they wanted for
themselves was something different than
(07:37):
what eventually happened. And
I think that we can say that with pride because
I think that we were not influenced
by the outside. Uh, we made a choice even
if it was unrealistic, even if we couldn't accomplish
it because of the other islands, uh, not supporting it.
That says we
(07:57):
can voice for ourselves what we
want.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (08:06):
As the dust settled after 1010 10, the
true architects of Stacia's new era began to
emerge. Not only in government chambers,
but in classrooms, community spaces,
and across kitchen tables, where women
shaped the spirit of governance long before it
was ever written in law.
(08:26):
Mrs. Sutaka reminds us that the island
political reorientation can came with growing
pains, but also with pride, especially
in the visibility and the voice of women.
By the early 2000, Stacia
stood at a crossroads between what it had
been and what it might become.
(08:47):
The 10-10-10 transition
marked not just a constitutional shift, but
a deeper redefinition of identity,
responsibility and leadership.
The voices that helped navigate this moment
were not always loud, but they were steady,
present and often feminine.
(09:10):
The groundwork for women political leadership had been
laid in decades past, and a
new generation stepped into the public life.
Those roots began to bloom.
Governor Frances doesn't just reflect on that
journey, she embodies it. Her story
traces the movement of women from domestic life
(09:31):
into decision making roles, anchoring
Stacia's transformation in a legacy of
leadership shaped not by power, but by
service.
>>
Um, the role of women began
to change more from domestic work
to taking positions in government and in
politics. I think one of the changing
moments in women becoming more
involved, for instance, in government affairs in
1988. In
(10:04):
1988, Ingrid Whitfield became
the first female commissioner on
St. Eustatius. It was a big deal back then,
and I think it was two years later. In
1991, Ingrid Whitfield and
Leonora Snake Gibbs became the two first
women in the Island Council of St.
Eustatius. So that was a changing moment,
(10:26):
um, for women in politics on St.
Eustatius and throughout the
decades, we also see where
women began to take the top positions in
government. If you look now, today we, um,
have a lot of women in the top positions. Uh,
so women play a leading role in
the development of statia. While,
(10:49):
um, we see now, um, with the last
elections that we had in April
2022, I believe it was
for the first time in the history all three political
parties were headed by women.
I don't want anyone to underestimate the
role of women in station society.
(11:10):
It's just that women lead differently. And the
majority of the station women that I know, they lead
from a position of service and
not from a position of power.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (11:25):
Stacia's women had long moved from the margins to the
forefront, Leading not only in government
chambers, but in classrooms, cultural
spaces, and the daily act of care.
Yet even as visibility increased, the
deeper work of healing had only just begun.
Because not all legacies are visible. Some live
(11:45):
in silence,
Intergenerational silences shaped by post
emancipation grief, where families
navigated trauma without words.
In Stacia, as in much of the Caribbean,
certain truths were never spoken out loud.
Culturally silenced by shame, survival,
or the belief that forgetting might protect the next
(12:08):
generation. But
silence does not erase impact.
Beneath what we often call resilience, Governor
Francis reminds us lie unspoken currents of
transgenerational trauma. Patterns of pain,
separation, and normalized behaviors rooted
in slavery's long shadow. If we are to
(12:28):
move towards real freedom, we must begin
not with blame, but with conversation.
And not just about what was done, but about what
was left behind.
>>
You know, I started off the story with our
women staying behind, uh, and as our
men went abroad to work,
but also, um, even in modern
day Stacia, uh, it has become such a norm
for a man to have several families.
Again, that is also part
(13:05):
of slavery, where you had the breeding farms, you
know, um, the men were
forced to, especially if he looked
strong and good, beautiful teeth, um, was
forced to be a breeder, a good
breeder, and had to breed,
um, new slaves because
after a while it became too costly
(13:27):
to transport, um,
humans from Africa
to the Caribbean and other parts of the world. So
if you had really good looking slaves and who was strong,
um, that was promoted. And so
those are also some of the cultural,
um, aspects, the trauma
(13:48):
that has been normalized
and the behavior has been normalized. So we
still see it today. That causes a lot of pain.
We, we have become accepting to it.
But I can tell you it is rough for children growing up,
um, sometimes not having the same name,
(14:08):
um, as their, or their
mother, not having the same name
as their father, uh, they not having
the same name as their father.
We talk a lot about the Station resilience.
Um, and it's good to be resilient, but
in the resiliency, it's good also to have the
(14:29):
conversations because you can be strong,
appear to be strong, but there can be so many
underlying unspoken stories
and truths. Um, so you don't want to
have a resilience of appearance
or appearing that you're resilient when underneath
there are all these currents that are still,
um, there. The pain,
(14:52):
um, the anger. Um, so,
um, I'm hoping that in the years to come,
as I said to you, there are
many stations, all types of
stations. And there are those among us
who really want to have that deep
conversation that can make us really feel
truly liberated, truly free from
(15:14):
the past. Will it ever happen? I don't
know. But at least we, uh, must start a conversation.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (15:29):
What we inherent isn't only land,
language or legacy. It's also
behaviors, silences and ways of
survival. Governor Francis peels
back the layers of modern life on Stacia to
show how transgenerational trauma and post
emancipation grief have etched themselves
into family patterns, gender dynamics
(15:51):
and community life. When the past
isn't spoken, it finds other ways to
speak through unspoken grief, through
patterns we inherent without question, and through
children who carry the weight of intergenerational
silence without even being told why.
But truth telling, she reminds us,
(16:11):
begins with reflection. It takes
courage to question what we've accepted,
to sit with the quiet ache beneath resilience,
especially in a place where resilience itself
has long been a badge of honor, but
sometimes also a mask.
And so the question what does
(16:32):
healing look like in a matrifolkial society
where women have carried so much?
Governor Frances continues as she shifts the lens
towards the next generation, tracing how gender
roles and expectations passed down through
generations impacts how we raise boys
and girls today, what we get taught,
(16:54):
what gets forgotten and what gets passed
on.
>>
We've lost a lot that is
typically us. Uh, but it
also has a lot to do with, with the way
we raise our children. I won't only blame it
on the exposure to other cultures or
American tv. It's also the way we are raising
our children. For some reason,
(17:22):
we raise our young girls in a more, uh,
traditional way. Um, you know, helping around
the house, cleaning, um, ironing,
doing, you know, we call it chores.
I don't consider it chores. I consider it preparing us
for a life on our own. You know, one day you're
going to grow up, you're going to need to know to cook, you're going to need to know to clean. You're going
(17:43):
to need to know how to iron. So while we prepare our young women
for that, unfortunately we don't do it enough,
um, with our young men. So um,
I don't know where we went wrong, but that is also
part of our own contribution to where we are now
and the gap that we see in our
young people,
(18:03):
um, losing
a lot of the true values
of what we stand for. Um, do we
give the right examples of how we speak
to m, um
our women? Do we give the right
example about how we treat our
(18:23):
women? Um, I
speak a lot to
young men and I try
to find out why they don't want to
commit, you know, in relationships.
And they are so fearful of
commitment. And
um, again
(18:45):
that is something that is continuing
for so many years and it's causing a lot of pain
in our community because
uh, our women never truly feel respected and honored
while they give so much and they deserve
more than they are getting. And
um,
(19:07):
again,
education, awareness,
communication. We have a lot
of work to do because our men are ah, still
so much inside that they
are afraid to express. They are afraid to show
up vulnerable, afraid to show
(19:28):
up tender, they're afraid to show up caring. And again,
where does that come from? Can we blame it only
on tv or is it again related to
our past and the way we were
treated? So um, it's
a lot of work that we have to do because it's
showing itself in our community
in a way that the uh, generations that
(19:51):
will come will take part.
Continuing to disintegrate as
family, as stations.
It's causing a lot of pain.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (20:08):
Resilience, when not met with equal support,
turns into exhaustion. What's often
praised as strength in Caribbean women can also be
a quiet burden, one inherited across
generations. Like a well worn story that
was never fully told. From the forced
separation of enslavement to today's unspoken
emotional distance, the systems may look
(20:30):
different, but the impact lingers.
This is part of what scholars call post
enslavement syndrome, where historical
trauma and gender expectations continue
to shape modern family life. But
the call of gender justice asks for more than
endurance. It asks us to build balance
where care, emotional openness and
(20:53):
responsibility is shared not in
opposition, but as a shared foundation.
So perhaps the real work begins not just in
raising strong daughters, but emotionally rooted
sons. Not just in surviving the past,
but in learning how to speak through it together.
>>
While I really appreciate the emancipation of
women and I appreciate that
we um, able to
do a lot on our own,
I believe in the
working together of men and Women on
every front, not only in the
(21:37):
field of work, not only in the church, but more so
in the family unit.
And, um, it is absolutely necessary that,
um, we pause a
station, men and women.
Um, and I want to say we'll still
revert back to your question, that to our young
(21:58):
Stacia women, our seashore woman,
um, in general, we have
achieved a lot in terms of education,
achieved a lot in business. Because throughout this island you
see our young women and women doing well in business.
But I want them to take a more bold stand when it comes
to their relationships. You
(22:20):
know, stop taking a back seat, stop
accepting mediocrity, stop,
um, accepting the fact that he does not want to have
the wrong conversation, that he does not want to
commit. We have to force the
conversation. We have to find out what is
happening, what is happening on the deeper
(22:40):
side of our men. How can we get them to work
together with us so that we can build a strong
Stacia family. So I don't want
to continue to see a Stacia where
our women have to be so resilient, but
resilience almost to a point of
loneliness, you know, uh, we deserve so
much better. And, um, if it takes us
(23:03):
to push the lever,
then let us do that. Let us,
um, challenge our men, let us nurture them,
let us drive the conversation, Let us help them to open
up, let us help them to be vulnerable. Let us
help them to have a different
perspective. It will take time,
(23:24):
but let us make really concerted
efforts. Um,
um, we
won't achieve the common goal that we want to
achieve because Stacia is not
just about him or her. It's about us,
uh, together.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (23:46):
Across generations, a quiet truth
reveals itself. Resilience that
is not shared becomes erosion.
Governor Francis, Observations of imbalance
of Endurance stretched Too Thin traces a
pattern seen across post emancipation societies
where care becomes a woman's burden
(24:07):
and silence becomes. Is mistaken for strength.
Contemporary feminist thoughts reminds us
transformation begins not only in policy, but in
the emotional architecture of a society, in
how we raise our sons, in what we normalize, in
love, and in what we pass down
unnamed. The world is not
(24:27):
built solely in parliaments or plans. It is
built in the spaces between people. And it
is in those intimate, ungoverned spaces
that the true work of equality either blooms
or it is postponed.
We now turn to Mr. Richardson Syntastacia's
heritage Inspector. He sheds a light on
(24:48):
the generations raised by the unrelenting
wisdom of Caribbean women.
>> Mr. Richardson (24:58):
You know, we all have mothers, um,
and sisters, um, and nieces.
And friends and children. I would
say to every Caribbean woman, do
not give up, firstly on yourself.
Um, you know, you women,
women are the creators. Women create also
(25:19):
men and it's the strong willingness
of good parenting of mothers
in the Caribbean on station, no matter where you are,
that oftentimes create, um, the type of
men that we will eventually become in the future.
At the end of the day, after years of
torment and the history that
(25:40):
we have of the people, you know,
we respect you and we see you, but we also hope
that, that self respect also comes back,
you know, from a lot of, um, women in the region.
And, you know, I just want, especially
the younger generation that are coming to not
forget, you know, where we came from and what we fought for
(26:02):
and that, ah, at the end of the day, the structure as we
know it, society as we know it,
um, actually have a lot to thank for
to all those independent, strong
willed women that really played a role in
our society. And at the end of the day,
always stand up for yourself and never feel
(26:22):
the need to diminish your shine
or to dub yourself down for anyone
because, you know, we have been through this
together for more than 400 years and
we would not have gotten anywhere or
any further without the motherly figure of women in
society. And
(26:43):
everyone should really know this part of the history.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (26:50):
When gratitude meets remembrance, something powerful
takes root, a recognition not just of women
who shaped us, but of the histories that shaped
them. Mr. Um, Richardson reminds us
that strength is not forged in
isolation. It is passed down, held
in hands that raised families,
built communities, and bore witness to
(27:12):
generations of struggle and love.
But memory needs more than reverence.
It asks for recovery. Because history
of Caribbean women, especially those whose
lives were bound by enslavement, remains too
often unspoken, unwritten
or scattered across distant archives.
(27:35):
To honor the women history forgot, we must
research the silences they left behind.
And so we Turn now to Dr. Elaine,
historian, educator, keeper of
memory, who reminds us we must ask,
who was never named.
>> Dr. Elaine (27:56):
Well, I think the more we know about the history of
slavery, the more we can understand
why the world is the way it is today.
Um, in Europe, in the Caribbean, in the United
States, in Canada, um, all
different parts of the Atlantic world, um,
and for a long time the history of
(28:18):
women in slavery was not something that people
focused on. And, um, over the
past few decades we've seen this incredible outpouring
of literature, um, in the
historical profession, across disciplines actually
on the history of enslaved women,
which has absolutely revolutionized how we
(28:39):
understand the history of slavery. But it's really important
to keep doing the research. And that's why, you know, I always
say if someone has the linguistic abilities,
do the research for the Dutch Caribbean or the Danish
too, because we. That's
something that we just really need to learn more about.
And I, I think it would be amazing
(29:01):
to see more people pursue that research.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (29:07):
The archives hold many names,
but too few of them belong to women.
Dr. Alain reminds us, to study
history is not only to uncover facts,
but to widen the lens through which we see the world.
And for the Caribbean, that lens must be
stretched across waters and centuries
(29:30):
into silences, into absences, and
into the lives of women left unnamed.
But research is only the beginning.
Recovery must be lived, must be spoken out
loud. And here on Cintastatius,
the weight of unspoken histories is
finally beginning to lift. It is here
(29:50):
that Governor Francis takes us forward
into the delicate terrain where apology
meets accountability and memory begins the
work of mending m what was broken.
>>
Having conversations about slavery past, I
believe, has always been a very
difficult conversation for stations. But I believe
most people of, um, African heritage
living in this part of the world.
I must say though,
that the last year we have seen a lot of change
(30:27):
in that. Um, the Netherlands is one of the first countries in
the world, I believe, if not the first country in the
world where they have played a, uh,
leading role in the transatlantic slave trade.
A, uh, uh, leading role in,
um, trading of people in human lives.
That first, I believe it was on July
(30:48):
19, um,
2022,
that um, Prime Minister Mark Rotter
offered apology for the duchess
role in slavery pass, followed by,
I think it was December King Willem
Alexander also offered apology.
I see a lot of possibilities coming out of this because
(31:10):
it forces us now as stations, and
especially, um, descendants of slaves, to
finally start having the conversation
that is very difficult to um.
So I'm thankful for that opportunity. I've had the
opportunity in my former position as government
commissioner to speak on
both occasions, um, as a
(31:32):
response to the apology
from the Dutch government and then the head of state, the
king. And on both occasions I said
we must make room for every voice.
It means that we um, can see that in Stacia we're very
passionate people. We speak a lot about
freedoms and liberation. We speak a lot about
(31:52):
resilience. But in that whole construct, we know
that on Stacia we have different voices. And
even in the story surrounding slavery,
we will see there'd be a voice that wants to look
at how can we move forward. But there's going to be the voice
that also say, hey, don't move too fast. We want to
talk about it. Um, and there's the voice
(32:13):
that still needs to be discovered. And I believe we
must make room for every voice to be
heard. And in having these conversations, we must
display the highest level of respect for the different
opinions that will come out of the conversations that are
to follow. I eagerly look forward to
exploring the African part of my
ancestry more. It would be indeed good
(32:36):
to know where it all started.
So I'm looking forward to that part in the conversation.
And I'm also looking forward to the part in the conversation
where stations
based on the available financial
resources that are coming out of the
apology that we can look at how we can rebuild
(32:56):
our island. Let us rebuild our institutions,
our monuments. Let us strengthen the capacity.
We have so many foundations on this island, like the
historical foundation, the monument foundation.
And I must salute all those men and
women who, for the past 50 years, have volunteered
their time, never gaining a penny,
(33:17):
keeping these organizations
afloat without having the
necessary resources, oftentimes
not even the knowledge or the experience, but just
diligently for decades, preserving
our culture, our heritage for a time like now
that, uh, resources are available. So I'm looking forward to
(33:38):
the time where we can do the things that are
necessary to ensure that
we rebuild our institutions, our monuments,
looking forward to where more of our culture
and heritage is taught in our
schools on the island. So I see.
I look at it in a positive way that we
(33:58):
can achieve a lot together. So there are
stories still that, um, are
alive, but they're hidden away. What if we
can go delve into these stories and bring these stories
much more alive?
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (34:15):
As Governor Francis reminds us, apology
alone is not the end of the road. It is a
threshold, a beginning. What
follows must be collective remembering,
rebuilding, and the courage to listen to the
voices long ignored.
Because some stories live in plain sight,
(34:35):
yet still remain untold.
Dr. Anna Hanslin, a historian and
professor, now brings us to that threshold
that even when the archives fall, silence.
The responsibility to uncover the lives of women
and the enslaved must not.
>> Dr. Elaine (34:58):
Women historically, um, in the
Caribbean and the broader Atlantic world in
this time period, enslaved people.
They're not as well represented in the traditional documentary
archives as we've discussed as white men.
But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't tell their stories.
And I think, in fact, it makes it more imperative now that
(35:18):
we recognize the need to tell their stories, that those
of us who are excited by uncovering those hidden histories really make it
our mission to do so.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (35:30):
When we search for the silences in history, we begin
to hear the echoes in the present.
Dr. Anna Hanslin reminds us that
uncovering the lives of those left out of the
archives Is not a luxury, It's a duty.
And when those stories rise, they don't just change
our past, they shift our sense of place,
(35:51):
of self. Archaeologist Dr. Morsings,
who has lived and worked on syntostatias, now speaks
to that deep connection between memory and
land and how the soil beneath our feet
can carry the rhythms of a forgotten story.
>> Dr. Stelton (36:09):
Yeah, without your past, you're nothing.
That's where your culture comes from. That's where your
upbringing comes from. That's how you relate to
people and to the places where you live
to. Even when you walk around and you recognize
places, um, I'm sure
if you go to another island, you, feel the vibe that
is different. But that means also that
(36:32):
you're picking up those boots and those
social structures, that you take them for
granted. And when you're like, whoa, this is
different, that means that you
have already internalized where you grew
up and what you think was like a normal life.
So you should really take that in and then use
(36:54):
that to reflect back onto yourself
and your past and where you come from.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (37:05):
Memories live not just in books or
buildings, but in the way a place feels
when you walk through it. Familiar, yet
layered. The soil pressed by many
generations. Dr.
Morsinks reminds us that the belonging is often
felt before it's understood
that the land shapes us as much as we
(37:26):
shape it. But not all
roots are visible.
As we move deeper, Dr.
Sahidi invites us to look beneath the
surface to the unnamed lives that
shape Stacia's legacy. A free port
on paper, but not free for the quiet
weight of enslavement. To
(37:49):
truly know this island, we must learn to read
the land's silences.
>> Dr. Elaine (37:57):
Stacia's history is a little bit different than a lot of other
islands. There were plantations on
stacia, but it was a free trade port. And
so a lot of the
work of enslaved people was
invisibilized, um, in a different
way than it is on other islands.
(38:17):
People were working down in lowertown, but
we don't really have a lot of experience
where we don't really have a lot of
detailed knowledge about people
who were working as porters, for example, or people who
were working as seamstresses,
or.
(38:37):
It's just different. You know, I think that stacia
is a really interesting place because, uh. And
I'm hoping that there's some young, bright
women on Stacia. Who are interested in
anthropology or archaeology or cultural
heritage. Because to understand the
history of Stacia really requires a fresh
(38:59):
perspective and looking at things very differently
from other Caribbean islands. It has a different legacy. In a
lot of ways, it's unique.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (39:11):
Some histories lie beneath trade routes
and warehouses, in names
unrecorded and Ah Labors
unrecognized. As Dr.
Sahidi reminds us, understanding
Stacia's past demands not just research,
but. But vision, A
willingness to see the invisible and ask new
(39:34):
questions of old soil.
But sometimes wisdom doesn't come from the
archives or the artifacts.
Sometimes it comes in the stillness of
someone who has lived the story.
Next we hear from Mrs. Rivers, a
respected elder and a lifelong nurse, who
reminds us that freedom, too, is a legacy.
(39:57):
Not always loud, not always written down,
but passed on. How we walk, how
we live, and what we choose to
remember.
>>
But what I like about Stacia,
you're free.
You're not really obligated to live the
life you used to live in Harlem.
You are more free here than there,
because the lifestyle there is very
(40:31):
difficult
here. You are more free.
Well, um, what I like about it,
I am free. And
you can move how you want,
where you want, when to go.
(40:53):
The love station. Because I born here, I think it's important
for the younger ones, as they
grow up, to know about it.
I think that's important.
So, you know, they can tell their children,
grandchildren, how it was
in those years.
(41:13):
But, uh, we didn't. My parents didn't
speak much about it.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (41:22):
We have come full circle,
from the sleeping breath of the quail to the shifting
ground of identity and inheritance.
This season has been a journey,
not just through history, but through silence,
care and courage. We've
walked alongside voices who've made space
(41:43):
where none was given, who reminded
us that freedom isn't always loud. It lives
in the ability to walk your own road, to
remember what was and to imagine
what might still become.
This, too, is emancipation.
But the quiet kind passed from hand
to hand, not written in law, but felt
(42:06):
in the body. In choosing how we raise our children,
in refusing to forget, in making room
for stories that were once buried
as the final echoes? Fate, we
what is freedom when your past has
been silenced?
And who carries the cost of resilience?
(42:31):
And what kind of future do we build when we
finally allow memory to be whole?
This brings season one of whispers of the
past to a close.
But the work of listening continues
until we meet again. Thank you for
(42:52):
listening. May the whispers of the
past guide you into deeper waters where
memory meets truth and
healing can begin in the stillness
beyond the shores.
Next, in our special behind the scene episode,
(43:13):
we share the unheard moments, the
segments that didn't make the final cut, and the
journey of creating season one of Whispers of the
Past. From spontaneous reflections
to production surprises, this is where the
making of memory becomes part of the
whispers.
What I like about Stacia?
You are free.
I am free. And
you can move how you want,
where you want, when to go.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (00:19):
Welcome to Whispers of the Past. I'm your host,
Fitavit. In this episode, awakening from
the echoes of the past, we step into the
2000s to 2025.
We begin with the land, volcanic,
alive. Beneath the soil of
Cintastasias, the quail sleeps. But
its silence is never empty. It
(00:41):
reminds us that even dormant truths still
carry pressure. And so does history.
These past 25 years have brought seismic
shifts. 10, 10, 10.
Constitutional change, the rise of women's
leadership, and the reckoning with enslaved,
unspoken legacy. But
(01:02):
transformation doesn't only take place in
parliaments or policies. It lives in
memory, in silence, in
the body, in the stories shared
across generations, in the voices
that until now lived on in the margins.
In this episode, we walk with those
(01:23):
voices, from governors and
grandmothers to historians and
heritage experts. We follow
the thread of gender and governance.
And we ask what happens when the past
speaks and we finally listen.
Before we talk about the people, the
(01:45):
politics or the power shifts,
we first look to the land.
Sintostatius, known for its quiet
rhythms and deep rooted resilience,
stands atop a sleeping giant.
Beneath the fertile hills and winding roads
of this tiny Dutch Caribbean island lies
(02:06):
the Quill, a dormant volcano
whose very presence reminds us that
transformation is always shimmering below the
surface. As we step into
the 21st century, the story of modern
day Stacia begins not only with laws and
leaders, but with the earth itself.
(02:26):
The landscape, both literal and symbolic,
continues to shift. We begin with
archaeologist Dr. Stelton, who explains
to us the Quill and what's to come.
>> Dr. Stelton (02:42):
So the Quill is dormant. So
the Quill is what's called the stratovolcano. The
Quill's last eruption was about 1600 years
ago. And it's not a matter of if, but when it will
erupt again. Because the process, that one
tectonic plate sliding under the other is a continuing
process that is ongoing to this day. Right?
So as we speak, pressure is building
(03:05):
up underneath our little island and underneath
St. Kitts and underneath Ceiba and, and underneath
Montserrat, et cetera, et cetera. And at some point the
volcano will erupt again. It's just a matter of when. We don't know.
It could be 10 years from now, could be a hundred, or it
could be 500 or 1,000. We just. Yeah, there's no way of knowing. Even
though the volcano will erupt again, that does not necessarily mean, of course,
(03:25):
that the island will be destroyed or something like that.
>> Ms. Sutekau (03:27):
Right.
>> Dr. Stelton (03:27):
It could be that there is a pyroclastic flow of hot
ash and gas that goes the other way. And even if
there is an explosion of that involves lava or
molten rock, that doesn't necessarily mean that it will engulf the whole
island.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (03:43):
Just as pressure beneath the surface builds quietly
until something must give, so too did the
political and social changes of early 2000.
Stacia begin to gather force.
In 2010, known across the Dutch
Caribbean as 101010 Sint
Eustace officially became a special
municipality of the Netherlands.
(04:07):
This was not a decision made lightly, nor a path
chosen freely. But in the face of
uncertainty, local voices,
especially those of women, rose with
clarity and conviction. It is
here we turn to Mrs. M. Sutekow, a long
term resident and one of the founders of the
center of Archaeology and research,
(04:29):
who reflects on the transformation of
governance, the evolving role of women in
politics and what it meant for Stacia to
step into a new identity, one shaped
by both resistance and reinvention.
>> Ms. Sutekau (04:47):
Well, of course, um, Stacia
continued to grow in the early 200,000
2010 we became part
of Holland. Um, 101010
will always be a date that we work from,
from backward and forward.
Good things came about. I think that our
(05:08):
education system, in our medical system
to a certain extent have mainly the
educational system have improved greatly.
Um, women were very much involved in that
period of time, in the transition and the transfer
over to, uh, our current
form of government. A lot of women
(05:28):
politicians during that period started their own
parties. Um, Nora
Snake for one, Ingrid Whitfield.
Other people who have been really
prominent in the political
landscape of Statia came to the forefront
in those periods of time.
Um, we have to have nothing but
(05:51):
pride and respect for the way the women on
the island and we can proceed on
m. Of course our Alita Francis as
governor, Governor Frances has made a huge
difference in that. This is a time
when I think the
women's role was more
(06:12):
appreciated and more seen. We have really
wonderful young female politicians coming
up now that we should be very proud of.
In the early 2000s
this was, I think one of the biggest things
that happened is that suddenly the
women in politics and station was really well
(06:32):
recognized
and the landscape on the island has
changed tremendously.
Um, it has become a lot more
expensive to live here. It has
become a time when there is a lot
of political, uh,
(06:53):
differences on the island.
I don't want to be critical, but I
think that the whole transfer could have
been done differently. Um, and
I think that there were a lot of mistakes made by the
Dutch during that period of time. But
I also think that people need
(07:14):
to realize that this was not Stacia.
We chose to become part, uh, stay part of the Netherlands until
that choice was not realistic if the other islands
weren't willing to do that. But the people of
Stacia spoke very
strongly that what they wanted for
themselves was something different than
(07:37):
what eventually happened. And
I think that we can say that with pride because
I think that we were not influenced
by the outside. Uh, we made a choice even
if it was unrealistic, even if we couldn't accomplish
it because of the other islands, uh, not supporting it.
That says we
(07:57):
can voice for ourselves what we
want.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (08:06):
As the dust settled after 1010 10, the
true architects of Stacia's new era began to
emerge. Not only in government chambers,
but in classrooms, community spaces,
and across kitchen tables, where women
shaped the spirit of governance long before it
was ever written in law.
(08:26):
Mrs. Sutaka reminds us that the island
political reorientation can came with growing
pains, but also with pride, especially
in the visibility and the voice of women.
By the early 2000, Stacia
stood at a crossroads between what it had
been and what it might become.
(08:47):
The 10-10-10 transition
marked not just a constitutional shift, but
a deeper redefinition of identity,
responsibility and leadership.
The voices that helped navigate this moment
were not always loud, but they were steady,
present and often feminine.
(09:10):
The groundwork for women political leadership had been
laid in decades past, and a
new generation stepped into the public life.
Those roots began to bloom.
Governor Frances doesn't just reflect on that
journey, she embodies it. Her story
traces the movement of women from domestic life
(09:31):
into decision making roles, anchoring
Stacia's transformation in a legacy of
leadership shaped not by power, but by
service.
>>
Um, the role of women began
to change more from domestic work
to taking positions in government and in
politics. I think one of the changing
moments in women becoming more
involved, for instance, in government affairs in
1988. In
(10:04):
1988, Ingrid Whitfield became
the first female commissioner on
St. Eustatius. It was a big deal back then,
and I think it was two years later. In
1991, Ingrid Whitfield and
Leonora Snake Gibbs became the two first
women in the Island Council of St.
Eustatius. So that was a changing moment,
(10:26):
um, for women in politics on St.
Eustatius and throughout the
decades, we also see where
women began to take the top positions in
government. If you look now, today we, um,
have a lot of women in the top positions. Uh,
so women play a leading role in
the development of statia. While,
(10:49):
um, we see now, um, with the last
elections that we had in April
2022, I believe it was
for the first time in the history all three political
parties were headed by women.
I don't want anyone to underestimate the
role of women in station society.
(11:10):
It's just that women lead differently. And the
majority of the station women that I know, they lead
from a position of service and
not from a position of power.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (11:25):
Stacia's women had long moved from the margins to the
forefront, Leading not only in government
chambers, but in classrooms, cultural
spaces, and the daily act of care.
Yet even as visibility increased, the
deeper work of healing had only just begun.
Because not all legacies are visible. Some live
(11:45):
in silence,
Intergenerational silences shaped by post
emancipation grief, where families
navigated trauma without words.
In Stacia, as in much of the Caribbean,
certain truths were never spoken out loud.
Culturally silenced by shame, survival,
or the belief that forgetting might protect the next
(12:08):
generation. But
silence does not erase impact.
Beneath what we often call resilience, Governor
Francis reminds us lie unspoken currents of
transgenerational trauma. Patterns of pain,
separation, and normalized behaviors rooted
in slavery's long shadow. If we are to
(12:28):
move towards real freedom, we must begin
not with blame, but with conversation.
And not just about what was done, but about what
was left behind.
>>
You know, I started off the story with our
women staying behind, uh, and as our
men went abroad to work,
but also, um, even in modern
day Stacia, uh, it has become such a norm
for a man to have several families.
Again, that is also part
(13:05):
of slavery, where you had the breeding farms, you
know, um, the men were
forced to, especially if he looked
strong and good, beautiful teeth, um, was
forced to be a breeder, a good
breeder, and had to breed,
um, new slaves because
after a while it became too costly
(13:27):
to transport, um,
humans from Africa
to the Caribbean and other parts of the world. So
if you had really good looking slaves and who was strong,
um, that was promoted. And so
those are also some of the cultural,
um, aspects, the trauma
(13:48):
that has been normalized
and the behavior has been normalized. So we
still see it today. That causes a lot of pain.
We, we have become accepting to it.
But I can tell you it is rough for children growing up,
um, sometimes not having the same name,
(14:08):
um, as their, or their
mother, not having the same name
as their father, uh, they not having
the same name as their father.
We talk a lot about the Station resilience.
Um, and it's good to be resilient, but
in the resiliency, it's good also to have the
(14:29):
conversations because you can be strong,
appear to be strong, but there can be so many
underlying unspoken stories
and truths. Um, so you don't want to
have a resilience of appearance
or appearing that you're resilient when underneath
there are all these currents that are still,
um, there. The pain,
(14:52):
um, the anger. Um, so,
um, I'm hoping that in the years to come,
as I said to you, there are
many stations, all types of
stations. And there are those among us
who really want to have that deep
conversation that can make us really feel
truly liberated, truly free from
(15:14):
the past. Will it ever happen? I don't
know. But at least we, uh, must start a conversation.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (15:29):
What we inherent isn't only land,
language or legacy. It's also
behaviors, silences and ways of
survival. Governor Francis peels
back the layers of modern life on Stacia to
show how transgenerational trauma and post
emancipation grief have etched themselves
into family patterns, gender dynamics
(15:51):
and community life. When the past
isn't spoken, it finds other ways to
speak through unspoken grief, through
patterns we inherent without question, and through
children who carry the weight of intergenerational
silence without even being told why.
But truth telling, she reminds us,
(16:11):
begins with reflection. It takes
courage to question what we've accepted,
to sit with the quiet ache beneath resilience,
especially in a place where resilience itself
has long been a badge of honor, but
sometimes also a mask.
And so the question what does
(16:32):
healing look like in a matrifolkial society
where women have carried so much?
Governor Frances continues as she shifts the lens
towards the next generation, tracing how gender
roles and expectations passed down through
generations impacts how we raise boys
and girls today, what we get taught,
(16:54):
what gets forgotten and what gets passed
on.
>>
We've lost a lot that is
typically us. Uh, but it
also has a lot to do with, with the way
we raise our children. I won't only blame it
on the exposure to other cultures or
American tv. It's also the way we are raising
our children. For some reason,
(17:22):
we raise our young girls in a more, uh,
traditional way. Um, you know, helping around
the house, cleaning, um, ironing,
doing, you know, we call it chores.
I don't consider it chores. I consider it preparing us
for a life on our own. You know, one day you're
going to grow up, you're going to need to know to cook, you're going to need to know to clean. You're going
(17:43):
to need to know how to iron. So while we prepare our young women
for that, unfortunately we don't do it enough,
um, with our young men. So um,
I don't know where we went wrong, but that is also
part of our own contribution to where we are now
and the gap that we see in our
young people,
(18:03):
um, losing
a lot of the true values
of what we stand for. Um, do we
give the right examples of how we speak
to m, um
our women? Do we give the right
example about how we treat our
(18:23):
women? Um, I
speak a lot to
young men and I try
to find out why they don't want to
commit, you know, in relationships.
And they are so fearful of
commitment. And
um, again
(18:45):
that is something that is continuing
for so many years and it's causing a lot of pain
in our community because
uh, our women never truly feel respected and honored
while they give so much and they deserve
more than they are getting. And
um,
(19:07):
again,
education, awareness,
communication. We have a lot
of work to do because our men are ah, still
so much inside that they
are afraid to express. They are afraid to show
up vulnerable, afraid to show
(19:28):
up tender, they're afraid to show up caring. And again,
where does that come from? Can we blame it only
on tv or is it again related to
our past and the way we were
treated? So um, it's
a lot of work that we have to do because it's
showing itself in our community
in a way that the uh, generations that
(19:51):
will come will take part.
Continuing to disintegrate as
family, as stations.
It's causing a lot of pain.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (20:08):
Resilience, when not met with equal support,
turns into exhaustion. What's often
praised as strength in Caribbean women can also be
a quiet burden, one inherited across
generations. Like a well worn story that
was never fully told. From the forced
separation of enslavement to today's unspoken
emotional distance, the systems may look
(20:30):
different, but the impact lingers.
This is part of what scholars call post
enslavement syndrome, where historical
trauma and gender expectations continue
to shape modern family life. But
the call of gender justice asks for more than
endurance. It asks us to build balance
where care, emotional openness and
(20:53):
responsibility is shared not in
opposition, but as a shared foundation.
So perhaps the real work begins not just in
raising strong daughters, but emotionally rooted
sons. Not just in surviving the past,
but in learning how to speak through it together.
>>
While I really appreciate the emancipation of
women and I appreciate that
we um, able to
do a lot on our own,
I believe in the
working together of men and Women on
every front, not only in the
(21:37):
field of work, not only in the church, but more so
in the family unit.
And, um, it is absolutely necessary that,
um, we pause a
station, men and women.
Um, and I want to say we'll still
revert back to your question, that to our young
(21:58):
Stacia women, our seashore woman,
um, in general, we have
achieved a lot in terms of education,
achieved a lot in business. Because throughout this island you
see our young women and women doing well in business.
But I want them to take a more bold stand when it comes
to their relationships. You
(22:20):
know, stop taking a back seat, stop
accepting mediocrity, stop,
um, accepting the fact that he does not want to have
the wrong conversation, that he does not want to
commit. We have to force the
conversation. We have to find out what is
happening, what is happening on the deeper
(22:40):
side of our men. How can we get them to work
together with us so that we can build a strong
Stacia family. So I don't want
to continue to see a Stacia where
our women have to be so resilient, but
resilience almost to a point of
loneliness, you know, uh, we deserve so
much better. And, um, if it takes us
(23:03):
to push the lever,
then let us do that. Let us,
um, challenge our men, let us nurture them,
let us drive the conversation, Let us help them to open
up, let us help them to be vulnerable. Let us
help them to have a different
perspective. It will take time,
(23:24):
but let us make really concerted
efforts. Um,
um, we
won't achieve the common goal that we want to
achieve because Stacia is not
just about him or her. It's about us,
uh, together.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (23:46):
Across generations, a quiet truth
reveals itself. Resilience that
is not shared becomes erosion.
Governor Francis, Observations of imbalance
of Endurance stretched Too Thin traces a
pattern seen across post emancipation societies
where care becomes a woman's burden
(24:07):
and silence becomes. Is mistaken for strength.
Contemporary feminist thoughts reminds us
transformation begins not only in policy, but in
the emotional architecture of a society, in
how we raise our sons, in what we normalize, in
love, and in what we pass down
unnamed. The world is not
(24:27):
built solely in parliaments or plans. It is
built in the spaces between people. And it
is in those intimate, ungoverned spaces
that the true work of equality either blooms
or it is postponed.
We now turn to Mr. Richardson Syntastacia's
heritage Inspector. He sheds a light on
(24:48):
the generations raised by the unrelenting
wisdom of Caribbean women.
>> Mr. Richardson (24:58):
You know, we all have mothers, um,
and sisters, um, and nieces.
And friends and children. I would
say to every Caribbean woman, do
not give up, firstly on yourself.
Um, you know, you women,
women are the creators. Women create also
(25:19):
men and it's the strong willingness
of good parenting of mothers
in the Caribbean on station, no matter where you are,
that oftentimes create, um, the type of
men that we will eventually become in the future.
At the end of the day, after years of
torment and the history that
(25:40):
we have of the people, you know,
we respect you and we see you, but we also hope
that, that self respect also comes back,
you know, from a lot of, um, women in the region.
And, you know, I just want, especially
the younger generation that are coming to not
forget, you know, where we came from and what we fought for
(26:02):
and that, ah, at the end of the day, the structure as we
know it, society as we know it,
um, actually have a lot to thank for
to all those independent, strong
willed women that really played a role in
our society. And at the end of the day,
always stand up for yourself and never feel
(26:22):
the need to diminish your shine
or to dub yourself down for anyone
because, you know, we have been through this
together for more than 400 years and
we would not have gotten anywhere or
any further without the motherly figure of women in
society. And
(26:43):
everyone should really know this part of the history.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (26:50):
When gratitude meets remembrance, something powerful
takes root, a recognition not just of women
who shaped us, but of the histories that shaped
them. Mr. Um, Richardson reminds us
that strength is not forged in
isolation. It is passed down, held
in hands that raised families,
built communities, and bore witness to
(27:12):
generations of struggle and love.
But memory needs more than reverence.
It asks for recovery. Because history
of Caribbean women, especially those whose
lives were bound by enslavement, remains too
often unspoken, unwritten
or scattered across distant archives.
(27:35):
To honor the women history forgot, we must
research the silences they left behind.
And so we Turn now to Dr. Elaine,
historian, educator, keeper of
memory, who reminds us we must ask,
who was never named.
>> Dr. Elaine (27:56):
Well, I think the more we know about the history of
slavery, the more we can understand
why the world is the way it is today.
Um, in Europe, in the Caribbean, in the United
States, in Canada, um, all
different parts of the Atlantic world, um,
and for a long time the history of
(28:18):
women in slavery was not something that people
focused on. And, um, over the
past few decades we've seen this incredible outpouring
of literature, um, in the
historical profession, across disciplines actually
on the history of enslaved women,
which has absolutely revolutionized how we
(28:39):
understand the history of slavery. But it's really important
to keep doing the research. And that's why, you know, I always
say if someone has the linguistic abilities,
do the research for the Dutch Caribbean or the Danish
too, because we. That's
something that we just really need to learn more about.
And I, I think it would be amazing
(29:01):
to see more people pursue that research.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (29:07):
The archives hold many names,
but too few of them belong to women.
Dr. Alain reminds us, to study
history is not only to uncover facts,
but to widen the lens through which we see the world.
And for the Caribbean, that lens must be
stretched across waters and centuries
(29:30):
into silences, into absences, and
into the lives of women left unnamed.
But research is only the beginning.
Recovery must be lived, must be spoken out
loud. And here on Cintastatius,
the weight of unspoken histories is
finally beginning to lift. It is here
(29:50):
that Governor Francis takes us forward
into the delicate terrain where apology
meets accountability and memory begins the
work of mending m what was broken.
>>
Having conversations about slavery past, I
believe, has always been a very
difficult conversation for stations. But I believe
most people of, um, African heritage
living in this part of the world.
I must say though,
that the last year we have seen a lot of change
(30:27):
in that. Um, the Netherlands is one of the first countries in
the world, I believe, if not the first country in the
world where they have played a, uh,
leading role in the transatlantic slave trade.
A, uh, uh, leading role in,
um, trading of people in human lives.
That first, I believe it was on July
(30:48):
19, um,
2022,
that um, Prime Minister Mark Rotter
offered apology for the duchess
role in slavery pass, followed by,
I think it was December King Willem
Alexander also offered apology.
I see a lot of possibilities coming out of this because
(31:10):
it forces us now as stations, and
especially, um, descendants of slaves, to
finally start having the conversation
that is very difficult to um.
So I'm thankful for that opportunity. I've had the
opportunity in my former position as government
commissioner to speak on
both occasions, um, as a
(31:32):
response to the apology
from the Dutch government and then the head of state, the
king. And on both occasions I said
we must make room for every voice.
It means that we um, can see that in Stacia we're very
passionate people. We speak a lot about
freedoms and liberation. We speak a lot about
(31:52):
resilience. But in that whole construct, we know
that on Stacia we have different voices. And
even in the story surrounding slavery,
we will see there'd be a voice that wants to look
at how can we move forward. But there's going to be the voice
that also say, hey, don't move too fast. We want to
talk about it. Um, and there's the voice
(32:13):
that still needs to be discovered. And I believe we
must make room for every voice to be
heard. And in having these conversations, we must
display the highest level of respect for the different
opinions that will come out of the conversations that are
to follow. I eagerly look forward to
exploring the African part of my
ancestry more. It would be indeed good
(32:36):
to know where it all started.
So I'm looking forward to that part in the conversation.
And I'm also looking forward to the part in the conversation
where stations
based on the available financial
resources that are coming out of the
apology that we can look at how we can rebuild
(32:56):
our island. Let us rebuild our institutions,
our monuments. Let us strengthen the capacity.
We have so many foundations on this island, like the
historical foundation, the monument foundation.
And I must salute all those men and
women who, for the past 50 years, have volunteered
their time, never gaining a penny,
(33:17):
keeping these organizations
afloat without having the
necessary resources, oftentimes
not even the knowledge or the experience, but just
diligently for decades, preserving
our culture, our heritage for a time like now
that, uh, resources are available. So I'm looking forward to
(33:38):
the time where we can do the things that are
necessary to ensure that
we rebuild our institutions, our monuments,
looking forward to where more of our culture
and heritage is taught in our
schools on the island. So I see.
I look at it in a positive way that we
(33:58):
can achieve a lot together. So there are
stories still that, um, are
alive, but they're hidden away. What if we
can go delve into these stories and bring these stories
much more alive?
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (34:15):
As Governor Francis reminds us, apology
alone is not the end of the road. It is a
threshold, a beginning. What
follows must be collective remembering,
rebuilding, and the courage to listen to the
voices long ignored.
Because some stories live in plain sight,
(34:35):
yet still remain untold.
Dr. Anna Hanslin, a historian and
professor, now brings us to that threshold
that even when the archives fall, silence.
The responsibility to uncover the lives of women
and the enslaved must not.
>> Dr. Elaine (34:58):
Women historically, um, in the
Caribbean and the broader Atlantic world in
this time period, enslaved people.
They're not as well represented in the traditional documentary
archives as we've discussed as white men.
But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't tell their stories.
And I think, in fact, it makes it more imperative now that
(35:18):
we recognize the need to tell their stories, that those
of us who are excited by uncovering those hidden histories really make it
our mission to do so.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (35:30):
When we search for the silences in history, we begin
to hear the echoes in the present.
Dr. Anna Hanslin reminds us that
uncovering the lives of those left out of the
archives Is not a luxury, It's a duty.
And when those stories rise, they don't just change
our past, they shift our sense of place,
(35:51):
of self. Archaeologist Dr. Morsings,
who has lived and worked on syntostatias, now speaks
to that deep connection between memory and
land and how the soil beneath our feet
can carry the rhythms of a forgotten story.
>> Dr. Stelton (36:09):
Yeah, without your past, you're nothing.
That's where your culture comes from. That's where your
upbringing comes from. That's how you relate to
people and to the places where you live
to. Even when you walk around and you recognize
places, um, I'm sure
if you go to another island, you, feel the vibe that
is different. But that means also that
(36:32):
you're picking up those boots and those
social structures, that you take them for
granted. And when you're like, whoa, this is
different, that means that you
have already internalized where you grew
up and what you think was like a normal life.
So you should really take that in and then use
(36:54):
that to reflect back onto yourself
and your past and where you come from.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (37:05):
Memories live not just in books or
buildings, but in the way a place feels
when you walk through it. Familiar, yet
layered. The soil pressed by many
generations. Dr.
Morsinks reminds us that the belonging is often
felt before it's understood
that the land shapes us as much as we
(37:26):
shape it. But not all
roots are visible.
As we move deeper, Dr.
Sahidi invites us to look beneath the
surface to the unnamed lives that
shape Stacia's legacy. A free port
on paper, but not free for the quiet
weight of enslavement. To
(37:49):
truly know this island, we must learn to read
the land's silences.
>> Dr. Elaine (37:57):
Stacia's history is a little bit different than a lot of other
islands. There were plantations on
stacia, but it was a free trade port. And
so a lot of the
work of enslaved people was
invisibilized, um, in a different
way than it is on other islands.
(38:17):
People were working down in lowertown, but
we don't really have a lot of experience
where we don't really have a lot of
detailed knowledge about people
who were working as porters, for example, or people who
were working as seamstresses,
or.
(38:37):
It's just different. You know, I think that stacia
is a really interesting place because, uh. And
I'm hoping that there's some young, bright
women on Stacia. Who are interested in
anthropology or archaeology or cultural
heritage. Because to understand the
history of Stacia really requires a fresh
(38:59):
perspective and looking at things very differently
from other Caribbean islands. It has a different legacy. In a
lot of ways, it's unique.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (39:11):
Some histories lie beneath trade routes
and warehouses, in names
unrecorded and Ah Labors
unrecognized. As Dr.
Sahidi reminds us, understanding
Stacia's past demands not just research,
but. But vision, A
willingness to see the invisible and ask new
(39:34):
questions of old soil.
But sometimes wisdom doesn't come from the
archives or the artifacts.
Sometimes it comes in the stillness of
someone who has lived the story.
Next we hear from Mrs. Rivers, a
respected elder and a lifelong nurse, who
reminds us that freedom, too, is a legacy.
(39:57):
Not always loud, not always written down,
but passed on. How we walk, how
we live, and what we choose to
remember.
>>
But what I like about Stacia,
you're free.
You're not really obligated to live the
life you used to live in Harlem.
You are more free here than there,
because the lifestyle there is very
(40:31):
difficult
here. You are more free.
Well, um, what I like about it,
I am free. And
you can move how you want,
where you want, when to go.
(40:53):
The love station. Because I born here, I think it's important
for the younger ones, as they
grow up, to know about it.
I think that's important.
So, you know, they can tell their children,
grandchildren, how it was
in those years.
(41:13):
But, uh, we didn't. My parents didn't
speak much about it.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (41:22):
We have come full circle,
from the sleeping breath of the quail to the shifting
ground of identity and inheritance.
This season has been a journey,
not just through history, but through silence,
care and courage. We've
walked alongside voices who've made space
(41:43):
where none was given, who reminded
us that freedom isn't always loud. It lives
in the ability to walk your own road, to
remember what was and to imagine
what might still become.
This, too, is emancipation.
But the quiet kind passed from hand
to hand, not written in law, but felt
(42:06):
in the body. In choosing how we raise our children,
in refusing to forget, in making room
for stories that were once buried
as the final echoes? Fate, we
what is freedom when your past has
been silenced?
And who carries the cost of resilience?
(42:31):
And what kind of future do we build when we
finally allow memory to be whole?
This brings season one of whispers of the
past to a close.
But the work of listening continues
until we meet again. Thank you for
(42:52):
listening. May the whispers of the
past guide you into deeper waters where
memory meets truth and
healing can begin in the stillness
beyond the shores.
Next, in our special behind the scene episode,
(43:13):
we share the unheard moments, the
segments that didn't make the final cut, and the
journey of creating season one of Whispers of the
Past. From spontaneous reflections
to production surprises, this is where the
making of memory becomes part of the
whispers.
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