Conscious Lyrics Foundation (CLF) is inviting the general public to the commemoration ceremony for the 183rd anniversary of the Marigot Massacre, according to Shujah Reiph, president of CLF.
This cultural and historical event will take place on Thursday, September 26, 5pm, on the Marigot water-front across from La Vie en Rose restaurant.
Exactly 183 years ago, St. Martiners were shot down in the streets of Marigot, according to the diarist Joseph Richardson.
Richardson retrieved the historic event from government archives while he was secretary of the Mairie in Marigot from 1896 to 1949.
"Through his diary entry, we know that on September 26, 1830, a number of Blacks made a heroic push for freedom from the unholy slave system," said Reiph.
In 1996 this important part of St. Martin’s history was published in the book National Symbols of St. Martin where we read further that the protesters in the streets of Marigot were met by "the armed might of plantation owners, colonial officials, and soldiers." The event became known as "The Revolt and Massacre of 1830."
The commemoration will begin at 5am at Marigot Catholic church when a church service will be held in the honor the ancestors who were massacred.
The evening part of the commemoration ceremony at the Marigot water-front will feature poetry, songs, drums and speeches.