Understa nding an enta ngle hist ory

Understanding an entangle history

In this Master’s Thesis, I have been trying to illuminate and understand the shared history between Denmark and the Virgin Islands. In connection to centennial the tabooed history about Denmark’s colonial era has become relevant once again. The approach towards this Thesis has been highly investigating and practical. My study trip has been a big part of illuminating the voice of a people who feel left behind. Interviews and interaction with locals has been a significant factor in the exploration of the use of sugar mills and if it is at all possible to make a new use of them.

The first discovery

Aarhus School of Architecture, The Royal Danish Academy together with US Virgin Islands and BYFO initiated (spring semester 2016) a collaborating centennial project in form of two transformation projects on St. Croix and St. Thomas called “In Search of Identity”. The studio worked on a transformation of old Danish barracks on St. Croix into an architecture and crafts school. In this connection, the studio went on a three-week study trip to measure, draw and gather information about the buildings as well as the site, city and Islands.

This was my first meeting with St. Croix and a history that have been tabooed. I did not learn about the colonial era at school, only that Denmark was the first to emancipate the slaves. I did not know anything about the Virgin Islands before the study trip.

On the study trip, it came clear that the people of St. Croix go through a confusion of identity. Walking through the streets of Christiansted the people is a great mixture of color living side by side. Superficially it seemed perfect and people greet each other, but coming from Denmark with African roots I could sense the confusion of identity.

I got interesting in this strange tabooed history, that we do not talk about in Denmark. It was the people of St. Croix that caught my interest and curiosity. In St. Croix, the colonial era is a constant reminder. They must deal with the remains and heritage from a brutal history that we in Denmark almost has erased from our consciousness. I had to go back. This was the start of my Master’s Thesis.

Virgin Islanders

Virgin Islanders are American citizens but are treated as secondclass citizens. They must deploy the military service and pay taxes but they cannot vote for the presidential election. How can this be possible in 2017? It is clearly an open suppression of a people and a distortion of the democracy. This creates a trivial and resentful relationship and may be a constant reminder of the slavery.

For centuries, no one have considered the people of the Virgin Islands. Walking around St. Croix there is a feeling of a lost people. Their history has been erased and overtaken by bigger nations that still today suppresses the Virgin Islands. How are they supposed to know who they are when superior nations throw them back and forth? They are not taught in their own history in school so how should they know anything about their Danish roots? Mario Moorhead mentions, in the movie “West Indies Voices” by Ulla Lunn, that they have no identification with their homeland and it makes sense as the only tangible identification is their dark skin color, the Danish and vernacular architecture and their last names in which many cases are Danish.

Reestablishments of lost ties

I believe that we have a moral obligation towards the people of US Virgin island. It is important that we understand our history both people in Denmark and on Virgin Islands. It is important that we in Denmark acknowledge the history and the Virgin Islanders accept it and make peace with it. By collaborating and reestablishing the lost ties I believe we can create acceptance and happiness.

The collaboration is slowly increasing as Newspapers like Politiken, Informationen as well as Danish television, Danmarks Radio has been focusing on making the Danish history of the former Danish West Indies more available for the Danish people. In November 2016 USVI sent a public gift to Denmark, which is the first official monument as a reminder of Denmark’s history as a slave nation. The gift is a copy of the sculpture called “Freedom” and is a symbol of the rising of the slaves and their fight for freedom. The same sculpture is present on each of the three islands. This is a great way to reconnect Denmark and USVI and hopefully with a central placing in Denmark the sculpture can make the people of Denmark more aware of our history. In the article” Eksperter: Her bør Danmarks første mindesmærke for tiden som slavenation stå” from Politikken, Mich Vraa, argues how the sculpture will have a big influence on people’s awareness about this significant time in the Danish history. And as he states ”most Danish people today do not know much about the slave times”.

In connection to the centennial and the renewed interest in the Virgin Islands I participated in a panel debate at Politiken together with Astrid Nonbo Andersen, researcher in reminiscence and history politics and Bertel Haarder, former minister. Together we contributed with a historical, political and architectural perspective to the former Danish West Indies followed by a good and nuanced debate, where the level of the debate was further enhanced by an enthusiastic audience.

Participated in a panel debate about Denmark as a colonial power Politikens Hus, 15. maj 2017