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On Saturday, November 7, mid-morning, an unusual crowd gathered in the Swedish section of the Public Cemetery. As is the case every year, it is at this symbolic location that the celebrations marking the sister-city relationship between the Swedish town of Piteå and the island of Saint Barthélemy begin. A traditional ecumenical ceremony brings together the delegation from the St.Barthelemysällskapet association, visiting from Stockholm; the president of the Saint-Barth Association of Friends of Sweden (Asbas), Nils Dufau, the 3rd Vice President of the Collectivité, Marie-Angèle Aubin, Father Jules Ahouandjinou, and Reverend Charlie Vere Nicol. Joining them were Elise Magras and Arlette Magras, as well as the flag bearer and the president of the veterans’ federation, Philippe Laduré.
“A Special Feeling”
After a few brief speeches, the members of the Swedish delegation make their way among the graves of their ancestors. For some of them, at least. Régina lives in a small town between Stockholm and Oslo. This is her first visit to Saint Barth. She is filled with curiosity and, at times, emotion. “My husband read a lot of books on the history of Saint Barth a long time ago, and we used to tell each other that we’d come here someday,” she smiles. “When we found out the association was coming this year, we came with them. It’s very strange to see these Swedish traces on a Caribbean island. And it’s a surprise that so many streets have Swedish names.” “Walking into the Swedish cemetery was ‘special,’” she says. “When the national anthem was played, I thought to myself, ‘Oh, but I’m in Saint Barth’—it was a very special feeling.”
The delegation members wandered among the graves, read the inscriptions, and listened to the story told by Roger Richter, president of the St.Barthelemysällskapet association. They then set out to explore the island accompanied by Nils Dufau. The next day, some of them took part in the Gustavialoppet. They were watched and photographed by two Swedish journalists from the Göteborgs-Posten, Annelie Moran and Filip Powidzki Casserblad, who had made the trip. Thanks to Elise Magras and Nils Dufau, both journalists were able to delve into the Swedish archives, carefully preserved at the Collectivité’s headquarters, and then visit the Swedish house located beneath the Gustavia lighthouse, in the Gustav III area.
The delegation has since returned to Sweden. Next year, there will certainly be many more visitors from the cold. That’s because 2027 will mark the 50th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Piteå and Saint-Barthélemy—an occasion to further strengthen the historic ties that bind Saint-Barth to Sweden.
