The Hague, Netherlands – A wave of cultural expressions was shared at the sixth annual Embassy Festival which took place in The Hague last Saturday. Over 60 embassies participated in the Festival, sharing their culture in the form of cuisine, music, dance, theater, and arts & crafts, among other things, and attracting more than 50.000 visitors of predominantly The Hague and surrounding areas.
The Minister Plenipotentiary and her Cabinet, with the assistance of the Department of Tourism were first-timers at the event, promoting our country in full spirit. The main message was that Sint Maarten is back in business and open for visitors. Visitors to the Festival were pleased to hear this, and eager to visit the island for a vacation; some even thought they could book their vacation on the spot. A second message to visitors was that Sint Maarten is a part of the Dutch Kingdom, and is represented by the Minister Plenipotentiary and her support staff in the Netherlands. Though some visitors already knew this, the majority of visitors was keenly interested to hear more about the role of the Minister Plenipotentiary and her cabinet.
Minister Plenipotentiary, Jorien Wuite, and Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary, Michael Somersall, attended the ambassador’s reception at Hotel Des Indes, where they were welcomed and a word of appreciation and thanks was expressed for taking part in this year’s Embassy Festival. For the Minister Plenipotentiary and her staff, the Festival offered the opportunity to meet with ambassadors and embassy staff to further build and expand diplomatic ties for Sint Maarten. The Festival has grown over the years and participants were encouraged to participate in next year’s Festival as well.
The Cabinet is already gearing up for next year’s Embassy Festival when it plans to collaborate with the Ministries of TEATT and the Department of Culture, as well as with Sint Maarten organizations in the Netherlands, to come out bigger and better; showcasing our culture in all aspects, from salt-fish & johnny-cake to soca, and from local arts & crafts to the punnum dance.