| For hundreds of years the Caribbean was the colorful
playground of wannabe imperialists who flexed their colonial muscles
while transporting rum, slaves and gold between worlds. These faraway
kingdoms would repeatedly conquer and retreat, radically changing
the political geography with the spark of a cannon. After years of
divvying up – and re-divvying up – these sand-strewn paradises
like a game of Risk, only one of the 7000 islands in the entire Caribbean
remained so dear to two separate empires that they decided to share
it.
It’s easy to understand why this stunning island –
known as St-Martin to the French, and Sint Maarten to the Dutch
– has captured the hearts of many. A mere glance reveals conical,
coolie-hat-like peaks rising dramatically from the depths of the
ocean, and gentle cerulean currents that tumble landward to kiss
the bleach-blonde sands.
Today, the allure goes deeper than the island’s natural gifts.
The arbitrary division of land has given the scrubby island two
very distinct personalities, like a set of Siamese twins. Although
fundamentally one entity, both sides are engaged in an unconscious
game of tug-of-war as they struggle to assert their individuality.
At times they work as one, and in other instances they become a
caricature of themselves by exaggerating the traits that makes them
unique: the French cling to their European roots, as demonstrated
by the food and local lingo, while the Netherlands Antilles side
plays up their jammin’ attitude by appealing to the hedonistic
pleasures of visitors. But, although neither side likes to admit
it, the whole really is greater than the sum of its parts.
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