1500 - 2000: The Atlantic World and the dutch

Cultural Heritage - Introduction
The Netherlands Antilles and Aruba are autonomous parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and have always enjoyed a special relationship with the Netherlands. Due to their constitutional status, however, the islands could not benefit from funds such as the Netherlands Culture Fund (HGIS), supporting international cultural cooperation. Fortunately, this odd situation has been addressed and thanks to an additional grant from the Netherlands Culture Fund the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba are now incorporated into the project and can be considered full partners of the AWAD network. Complicating this matter, the Netherlands Antilles are currently dealing with another development: due to constitutional changes in the near future, the Antilles will cease to exist and become two autonomous countries (Curaçao and St. Martin), while the three remaining islands have opted for a status comparable to that of municipalities in the Netherlands. This will have repercussions for the cultural legacy of these islands, which should be considered as unique and inseparable. Therefore, cooperation and local commitment are essential, as is the development of joint research projects to identify what the islands have in common. Most of the existing projects and programmes are in fact aimed at underlining this common cultural ‘Caribbean’ identity.

Priorities are: oral history courses and projects, the setting up of inventories/databases relating to current research, the preservation of archival records and cultural exchange. Relevant institutions on the islands are already actively involved in cooperation programmes aiming to coordinate and preserve the shared cultural heritage on a national level, for example the platform ‘Shared Memory of the Dutch Caribbean’. However, there is the intention to stimulate an even broader Caribbean cooperation. The combined workshop of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles was also attended by a representative from Suriname, while representatives from the Netherlands Antilles attended the workshop in Suriname.
Link to Netherlands Antilles in AWAD database

Partners
- Mr Boi Antoin (Cultural Historical Fundation Bonaire)
- Mr Alfonso Blijden (Archival Affairs St. Maarten)
- Grant Gilmore III, PhD (SECAR/St. Eustatius Centre for Archaeological Research)
- Janga Lionel, MS (NAAM/National Archaeological Anthropological Museum/Curacao)
- Ms Suzanne Nielsen (Harry Luke Johnson Museum/Saba)
- Nolda Römer-Kenepa, MA (Nationaal Archief Nederlandse Antillen)
- Max Scriwanek, MA (National Archives/Curacao)
- Ieteke Witteveen, MA (NAAM/National Archaeological Anthropological Museum/Curacao)