GREAT BAY, St. Martin (November 12, 2003) — The National Symbols of St. Martin is now “recommended” as reading material by the US State Department, said Lasana M. Sekou, projects director at House of Nehesi Publishers.
The hard cover book, a primer about St. Martin’s culture, historical personalities and natural environment, is listed on the US government department’s Bureau of Administration website. “We think this is a good thing to share with the St. Martin people,” said Sekou. “In fact, House of Nehesi is firstly thankful to the St. Martin people for continuing to read, enjoy and study this book.
“Having National Symbols listed as recommended reading in the IPS section of the US State Department adds to the venues where folks abroad can be put in touch with original material about St. Martin and the St. Martin people.”
The State Department’s Office of Information Resources Management Programs and Services (IPS) “is the primary point of contact for anyone seeking access to Department of State records.” The National Symbols listing appears in the “Post Reports” section on the territory of the Netherlands Antilles.
National Symbols is one of 19 titles listed as recommended reading at the Netherlands Antilles “Post Reports.” Other books are Jos de Roo’s Curacao, Scenes and Behind the Scenes, Will Johnson’s Saban Lore: Tales from My Grandmother’sPipe, Dr. Johan Hartog’s U.S. Consul in 19th Century Curacao, Dr. Rene Romer’s Curacao, and Sypkens Smit’s Beyond The Tourist Trap, A Study of St Martin Culture.
National Symbols was published here in 1996, and can be bought in St. Martin at Arnia’s bookstore, Van Dorp and Shipwreck and on the Internet at www.amazon.com . The material from the book continues to be used for popular events such as carnival, for research by scholars, as teaching material in schools, and for presentations by government and tourism departments, churches and civic groups.
“The St. Martin people didn’t wait for this book to be accepted outside. So the attention it gets outside is due to the legitimacy it receives in St. Martin and from the nature of the work in it,” said Sekou, who is also the editor of National Symbols.
The projects director also encourages more St. Martiners to write with a view toward recording public and private histories and getting their books published. This, he asserted, “will add to the national literature and the culture of books, to more reading by youths and adults, and to the wealth of knowledge about oneself, one’s family and our island.”