This Tuesday, November 8, 2022, a press conference was held at the government of Sint Maarten which will mark the spirits and the history of Saint-Martin: the official announcement to use the Unity Flag as cultural symbol on the entire territory of Saint-Martin.
This was as much to the heart of Louis Mussington, president of the Collective, as of Silveria E. Jacobs, prime minister of Sint Maarten. Their emotion at this announcement did not go unnoticed. Rodolphe Samuel, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports of Sint Maarten, his counterpart on the French side, Dominique Democrite-Louisy, also 3rd Vice-President of the COM and Valérie Damaseau, President of the Office de Tourisme de Saint-Martin, surrounded the two leaders as well as Lasana M. Sekou, author and publisher who coordinated the launch of the Unity Flag adopted on August 31, 1990 during the preliminary conference on national symbols in Sint Maarten. Created to represent the inhabitants of the two halves of the island and the unification of the territory, the flag took on its full symbolic power on September 19, 2020 during border restrictions in the midst of a global pandemic when it was waved by hundreds of people chanting “One island, one people, one destiny”. The people have been heard by the politicians who invite the entire population to proudly raise the Unity Flag on November 11, on Saint Martin's Day. Lasana Sekou recalled the meaning of colors and symbols: green for fertile land which advocates living together in mutual respect, blue with two shades, clear symbolizing the vast sky and medium blue for the sea that surrounds us, red for the noble blood of the Saint-Martin people honoring the past, present and future, and yellow which embodies the generative energy of the sun, a metaphor for past victories and to be achieved thanks to the blessing of God and the resilience of the people of Saint-Martin. The obelisk and the two stars represent unity for one nation, the rock pyramid refers to the hard work of harvested salt, the sword for the defense of the country and justice for all, the aloe plant as a symbol of healing through the administration of justice, the fruits of the tamarind tree and the leaves of the hourglass encircle the central symbols of unity and finally, the pelican for grace, courage and sacrifice. _VX
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