Storytellers at Fort Oranje

Meneer Gomez is the one and only guide on the island. His stories about the island's history hold more weight than any article or book. Routinely he walks through the door of the fort every morning at 6 am. The doors of the fort don’ t actually close, like they would with any monument as to protect it. Here there are no doors. And here, on Statia, the monument needs no protection. At least not from humans.  Goats maybe. The goats know about the island in a way that humans are unable to. Meneer Gomez probably comes closest to knowing those secrets about the island that the goats know. If you book a tour with meneer Gomez he will await you at the doors of Fort Oranje. But this particular morning, meneer Gomez was not at the fort. I heard an older, American couple came to the island to learn all about its role in the independance war against the British. He was most likely giving them a tour. He would probably give them a version of what was written in most history books about Statia, in an animated telling. I imagined how he would illustrate the physical ruines of battle and intimate stories of old trees. With my class from the school we had come by to explore, discover and learn about the island's history on our own. Right when we walked towards the entrance of the fort, we saw a goat crossing the empty yard and hopping towards the edge. It rested there for a second, taking in the ocean view. It then took a left, climbing upwards against the brick wall and onto the cemetary in search of a meal. “Look teacha!” Nathalie shouted softly and pointed towards the edges of the fort. She always sounded somewhat soft as she whispered, even when she raised her voice. It was unique to her. It made her stand out at times while at other times it would make her dissapear among the other, much louder students in the class. Also unique to her, was the way she let herself be surprised by life’s playful moments. While the other students exchanged social capital and chatted about who they knew worked at the fort, Nathalie and I walked up towards the edge to do as the goat did. We took in the ocean view.


A version of this post was previously featured in the march 2019 issue of the Caribbean Studies Association Newsletter.