GREAT BAY, St. Martin (May 19, 2003) — Talking or guessing about St. Martin’s history without sound facts and is one thing, identifying and recording the proof of important parts of the nation’s history makes a big difference.
In her new book, 1963 – A Landmark Year in St. Martin, Daniella Jeffry identifies the island’s first recorded traffic jam; the number of eligible voters for the first modern Island Council election in Great Bay; a selection of weddings from February to December with the complete list of brides, grooms, bridesmaids and even guests; returning tourists that attended the private parties of St. Martiners; sports teams from Marigot and Great Bay uniting to compete abroad; a hunger strike; land developers and frozen food outlets; how did both sides of the island get full electricity at the same time; what was the new political status instituted in the North; and the names of who passed their St. Joseph school exams and more.
The socio-cultural, economic, infrastructural and political/constitutional changes in this reader-friendly book are identified for one and all to study further, to just enjoy or to be able to speak like experts about major developments that consolidated the ground floor of modern St. Martin (North and South).
With copies of the book now at Van Dorp, Arnia and other bookstores, 1963 – A Landmark Year in St. Martin, comes complete with a French translation (1963 – Année Charnière à Saint-Martin), chapter notes identifying source material, and a listing of captions and sources for over one hundred photos and images that are in the book from Amsterdam’s royal Tropenmuseum, early photographers Guy Hodge and Diederick Cannegieter, paintings by Ruby Bute and private collections.
The 1963 retrospective look will be launched at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library on June 7, 2003, said Lasana M. Sekou, projects director at House of Nehesi, the book’s publisher.