SINT EUSTATIUS (ORANJESTAD) - Please join us in giving a very warm welcome to Mrs. Monique James – Brown to the DEJONG family.

We are proud to share with you that DEJONG finally also has a physical office location on Sint Eustatius, a place where we hope to continue building something that has always been at the heart of our firm: making the law accessible, approachable, and personal for the residents of Saba and Sint Eustatius.

This week, our business owner Justin Simmons – de Jong spent several days on Statia together with Mrs. Monique James – Brown, preparing to welcome the community at the new location. Every detail was carefully put in place with one goal in mind: creating a safe and comfortable place where residents, entrepreneurs, families and organizations can easily walk in for trusted legal advice, guidance and support.

Today, however, is not just about the new location. It is about Mrs. Monique James – Brown.

For more than 27 years, Monique faithfully served the people of Sint Eustatius through the local island government. She has dedicated a lifetime to public service, and many on the island also know her from her years of service as Judge of Instruction from the Joint Court of Justice of Curacao, Aruba, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, where she contributed to the administration of justice with professionalism, integrity and compassion for more than 20 years.

Now, she begins a new chapter.

After decades of serving the public sector, Monique has chosen to join DEJONG, returning to her roots as a commercial lawyer. From our Statia office, she will continue doing what she has always done best: serving the people of St. Eustatius, but she will branch out as well, and support attorney Gerald Simmons – de Jong with his backlog in cases on Saba. Monique’s focus will be on assisting residents, entrepreneurs, organizations and local businesses with practical legal advice, guidance and representation, helping people understand not only their legal rights, but also their obligations, so they can make informed decisions with confidence. The focus on both Sint Eustatius and Saba has always been and will remain harmonious resolution to disputes as much as possible through mediation and alternative dispute resolution, considering the small scale of our communities on Sint Eustatius and Saba.

At DEJONG, we believe that justice should never feel distant.

It should be something people can walk into.

Something they can talk about.

Something that is part of the community.

To the people of Sint Eustatius: thank you for your trust over the years in DEJONG. We are honored to now also have a permanent home on your beautiful island and look forward to serving you for many years to come.

De Jong, Monique James - Brown (right)

About DEJONG:

Founded in June 2023, DEJONG is a full-service law firm rooted in the Dutch Caribbean, with offices in Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten. The firm blends professionalism with a personal, approachable style, placing strong emphasis on relationships and results. DEJONG specializes in commercial, administrative, and corporate law, and also offers legislation and policy services across the region. With a dynamic, community-driven team, the firm is committed to delivering modern, ethical, and client-focused legal solutions.

SINT MAARTEN (COLE BAY/PHILIPSBURG) – With over 600,000-part numbers available, NAPA St. Maarten services more than just the needs of auto and truck owners.

NAPA St. Maarten excels in 'special-order' service. A leader in the auto, truck and marine parts business, NAPA understands the need for quality parts and excellent service.

NAPA St. Maarten’s Mission: "Be the Premier one stop stores for all your Automotive, Truck & Marine Parts.”

Napa SXM = your one stop shop for all your auto, truck and marine needs!

Remember, NAPAs Philipsburg location is open on Sunday in case you need them!

9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

SINT MAARTEN (COLE BAY/PHILIPSBURG) – With over 600,000-part numbers available, NAPA St. Maarten services more than just the needs of auto and truck owners.

NAPA St. Maarten excels in 'special-order' service. A leader in the auto, truck and marine parts business, NAPA understands the need for quality parts and excellent service.

NAPA St. Maarten’s Mission: "Be the Premier one stop stores for all your Automotive, Truck & Marine Parts.”

Napa SXM = your one stop shop for all your auto, truck and marine needs!

Remember, NAPAs Philipsburg location is open on Sunday in case you need them!

9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

SINT MAARTEN/JAMAICA - "Collectively, the grantees are showing the power of art in its many dimensions," said Caribbean Culture Fund (CCF) Executive Director, Kellie Magnus.

From individual arts projects to large-scale collaborations to residencies connecting creatives across the region, Caribbean Culture Fund has announced 21 new projects under its Calls 4 and 5; bringing its portfolio to 100 projects across 32 countries.

The funded projects for these cohorts are led by organisations and artists from Aruba, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Caribbean Netherlands, Martinique, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten and the United States Virgin Islands, while the residency programmes will be hosted in Barbados, Curaçao, Dominica, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin and Trinidad and Tobago.

Call 4 covers the themes Art for Change and Caribbean Collaboration. The projects span film, theatre, photography, multimedia, architecture, digital heritage, libraries and archives, and include initiatives such as the British Virgin Islands' first interactive digital archive for culture and heritage, a documentary exploring shared Afro-Caribbean dance traditions in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, a youth-led digital storytelling project in Aruba, and research into traditional Caribbean architecture linking Saba and Dominica.

Call 5 focuses on Residencies and Fellowships and will support programmes that give Caribbean artists time, space and opportunities to develop new work while building professional networks across the region.

Many of the projects respond to challenges facing Caribbean artists and cultural organisations. Grantees were selected by independent juries based on their alignment with each funding theme, the quality and feasibility of their proposals, and the demonstrated ability of project leaders to deliver their work.

Ryan Oduber, who served on the jury, said evaluating the proposals gave him an even greater appreciation for the quality of creative work emerging across the Caribbean. "I was pretty much amazed by the projects."

For previous grantees, CCF funding has created opportunities that weren’t available before, including increasing the longevity of supported projects.

Belizean designer Damian Moore, whose Wired for Change: Empowering Voices Through Carnival Art received support through CCF's third call, said the project continues to create opportunities beyond the original grant. "It's been quite a ride, in terms of, not only the work, but it's like a jumping board into other things, and the project still continues ....[I]t's taken on a brand of its own, which I'm really, really glad for."

For Sonia Farmer, founder of Poinciana Paper Press based in Nassau, The Bahamas, the grant gave the organisation the stability to invest in its long-term future. "We were able to get a permanent studio, buy the equipment that we needed and run the programme exactly as we wanted to."

The newly announced grantees will begin implementing their projects and residencies over the coming months.

Together, the 100 projects demonstrate how investment in Caribbean arts and culture can strengthen regional collaboration, preserve cultural knowledge and create lasting opportunities for artists and cultural organisations.

Project List

Kickin It

• Project: The Capsule Project
• Genre: Libraries & Archives
• Country of implementation: British Virgin Islands

Geron Richards

• Project: Bamboula / Bomba Documentary Film
• Genre: Film
• Country of implementation: United States Virgin Islands (explores cultural connections with Puerto Rico)

Stephanie Chalana Brown

• Project: Claiming Spaces: The African Story of the Sugar Mill
• Genre: Multimedia
• Country of implementation: United States Virgin Islands (St. Croix)

David Gumbs

• Project: The Tides of Infinite Passage
• Genre: Multimedia
• Country of implementation: Saint Martin

Écritures théâtrales contemporaines en Caraïbe (ETC Caraïbe)

• Project: Tjè nou pa réparé – Théâtre de rue antillais
• Genre: Performing Arts
• Country of implementation: Martinique

Nicola Muirhead

• Project: Descendants of Summer
• Genre: Photography
• Country of implementation: Bermuda

Monica Pulido

• Project: Tribu Lab – Designing Digital Pathways to Cultural Participation for Caribbean Youth
• Genre: Multimedia
• Country of implementation: Aruba

Jean Oneli Blaise

• Project: VR Soualiga
• Genre: Video Games
• Country of implementation: Sint Maarten

TRAYSKREYOL

• Project: Remounizé — Dé-monstration décoloniale caribéenne
• Genre: Libraries & Archives
• Country of implementation: Martinique

Association Zofi

• Project: An Ba Lanmè – Exhibition
• Genre: Photography
• Countries of implementation: Martinique, Dominica and Saint Lucia

Saba Archaeological Center Foundation (SABARC)

• Project: The Resilient Houses Project
• Genre: Architecture
• Countries of implementation: Caribbean Netherlands and Dominica

Imagen 83/2000, 1ER Grupo Fotográfico Femenino / Centro de la Imagen

• Project: Residencia Photoimagen 2026
• Genre: Residency
• Country of implementation: Dominican Republic

Light House Theatre

• Project: Decoding Afro-Caribbean Knowledge Systems
• Genre: Residency
• Country of implementation: Saint Lucia (cultural exchange with Trinidad and Tobago)

Plié for the Arts Foundation

• Project: The Plié for The Arts Caribbean Residency
• Genre: Residency
• Country of implementation: Barbados (participants from Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago)

SAFE

• Project: Bodies and Memories
• Genre: Residency
• Country of implementation: Saint Martin

Stichting Kunst Openbare Ruimte Kòrsou (SKOR)

• Project: Uncommissioned Curaçao
• Genre: Residency
• Country of implementation: Curaçao (includes artists from Aruba, Sint Maarten and Saint Martin)

East Yard Enterprises

• Project: AMPLIFY Connect
• Genre: Residency
• Country of implementation: Trinidad and Tobago (participants from Barbados and Jamaica)

HeadMade Factory

• Project: Résidence HeadMade Factory
• Genre: Residency
• Country of implementation: Saint Martin

Jamaica Musical Theatre Company (JMTC)

• Project: TAP – Theatrix Apprenticeship Programme
• Genre: Residency
• Country of implementation: Jamaica

Listwa

• Project: Listwa Latè
• Genre: Residency
• Country of implementation: Saint Lucia (artist based in Dominica)

Waitukubuli Artist Association

• Project: Cayapa/Koudmen
• Genre: Residency
• Country of implementation: Dominica

ABOUT THE CARIBBEAN CULTURE FUND

The Caribbean Culture Fund (CCF) is a regional fund dedicated to supporting Caribbean artists, cultural practitioners, cultural organisations and institutions. Through competitive open calls, the Fund invests in projects that demonstrate creativity, social commitment, inclusion, sustainability, and the preservation and transmission of Caribbean cultural knowledge and practice. By supporting collaboration, innovation and artistic excellence across the region, CCF contributes to a stronger and more connected Caribbean cultural ecosystem.