De Memoire d’Anciens Memories of Our Past (St. Barths)

Description

This DVD is an oral history documentary film about the island of St. Barths. Through interviews with the islands’ elders, the story of the island is told in vivid detail, including the history of the immigration from St. Barths to St. Thomas which occurred primarily between 1870 and 1960.

Not so long ago in St. Barths, there were no roads, no running water, and no electricity. Old timers share the adventures of their lives, from working in the salt flats to selling contraband on schooners, weaving palm fronds, and sailing as stowaways to St. Thomas. In the space of a lifetime, they experienced a whole new world in St. Barthelemy.

The relevance of this DVD to St. Thomas is that there were a large number of people from St. Barths that settled in St. Thomas, or that came for work and, after some years, returned to St. Barths. These people’s descendants form a substantial French community in St. Thomas today.

52 minutes. Languages: French, Patois, Creole (English subtitles throughout).