Preserve
Oral histories, elder interviews, and archives that keep our memory alive — the highest priority named by our community.
Council of Cultural and Artistic Expressions
Every Culture Has a Story.
Every Story Builds a Legacy.
Every island has a story.
Some stories are only told once.
Culture lives through its people.
Together we preserve. Together we inspire.
Our Story
The island remembers through its people.
COCAAE was born from a simple, urgent truth: the descendants of formerly enslaved Sint Maarteners carry a heritage that lives in voices, hands, kitchens, and songs — and much of it has never been written down. We sit with elders. We record. We teach the young the names of what they already love. And we invite the world in, so that Caribbean culture is not a souvenir but a living, shared inheritance.
Learn more about COCAAEFour Cultural Pillars
The framework our community built, in their own words.
Engage
Festivals, community projects, and cultural days that bring food, music, and dance into shared public life.
Connect
Cross-cultural partnerships across the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Caribbean, and the global diaspora.
Inspire
Youth and adult workshops that turn heritage into skills, leadership, and creative confidence.
Featured Programs
Heritage you can join, not just read about.
Interactive Timeline
A history that keeps unfolding.
1493
First recorded sighting
Sint Maarten enters the written record — but its story begins long before.
1848–1863
Emancipation
Freedom reshapes the island. Families build communities whose descendants we serve today.
1900s
Living traditions
String band, ponum dance, storytelling, and craft carry memory through generations.
2026
Cultural Bridges Workshop
11 participants, 3 teams, 40+ ideas, and one clear priority: preserve our oral histories.
Today
COCAAE
A movement building a permanent archive, a youth pipeline, and global partnerships.
Featured Stories
Community voices from the archive.
"When I speak, my grandmother speaks. That is how the island remembers."
"I never knew our dance had a name and a history. Now I teach it to my cousins."
"Culture isn't behind glass here. It's in the kitchen, the yard, the street."
Upcoming Events
Come stand in the story.
Honoring Our People
The keepers of S'Maatin culture.
Urmain Dormoy
Founder and Executive Director — a lifetime of leadership, heritage, and service to the people of Sint Maarten.
The Guavaberry Distillery
Guardians of a taste that is unmistakably ours — guavaberry liquor made the old-school way, generation after generation.
Dress, Craft & Cuisine
Traditional dress and local craft carried into everyday island life — culture you can taste, wear, and share.
Photo Gallery
Moments we keep.
Annual Impact
11
Workshop participants
40+
Community ideas captured
4
Cultural pillars
6
Islands in our network
Kingdom of the NetherlandsUniversity PartnersSint Maarten MuseumsArts OrganizationsCorporate SponsorsCommunity FoundationsKingdom of the NetherlandsUniversity PartnersSint Maarten MuseumsArts OrganizationsCorporate SponsorsCommunity Foundations
Help Preserve Caribbean Heritage
Every gift records another elder, funds another workshop, and keeps another tradition from going quiet. Give once, give monthly, or partner with us as a corporate sponsor.