PHILIPSBURG:--- The University of St. Martin commemorates the Treaty of Concordia, March 23rd, 2014 will be the 366th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Concordia.
The University of St. Martin (USM) chooses to commemorate the signing of the treaty not only because it is the foundation of the island's history, but also because the date is often overlooked.
This reality is very unfortunate especially of the fact that the content of the treaty affects the current relationship between Saint Martin and Sint Maarten.
USM's Dean of Academics, Mr. Francio Guadeloupe expresses the fact that many residents are not well informed on the current cross border relationship between the two sides of the island. In his opinion there are particular points that need to be addressed such as:
- How was the signing of the Treaty of Concordia unintentionally subversive of the way the colonial overlords in the Hague and Paris divided Soualiga into Sint Maarten and Saint Martin.
- How is the treaty of Concordia a lesson from an Outermost Region (Saint Martin) and an Overseas Country & Territory (Sint Maarten) to France and the Netherlands (main players of the EU) on a multicultural conviviality that works.
- How do the islanders make the Treaty of Concordia a living document in creating a more economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable island.
The Commemoration lecture will be held at the University of St. Martin on Thursday March 20th 2014 at 7:00 – 8:30pm.
The lecturer for the evening is USM's Caribbean Studies lecturer, Mr. Alex Richards. The general public is invited to attend.