Prince Bernhard Culture Fund awards prize to Will Johnson

Every two years the Board of the Prince Bernhard Culture Fund Caribbean Region PBCCG awards a prize on each of the six Dutch Caribbean islands in recognition of outstanding efforts in the fields of art, culture and nature. This year, William “Will” Stanley Johnson was bestowed with the 2017 PBCCG Prize on Saba.

On November 7, PBC­CO chair Michele Russel­Capriles travelled to Saba, accompanied by Board Secretary of the Prince Ber­nhard Fund in the Nether­lands Thijs Romp to be­stow the honour on John­son for his dedication to documenting and preserv­ing the Saban way of life.

“We arc especially im­pressed by the massive ar­chive of photographs, audio recordings and documents that Will Johnson has col­lected throughout his life. This archive, and the many collections it contains, is precious as it tells the story of Saba’s past, its people, its development and their traditions. But Will has not left it at that. A prolific writer, Will has published a number of books about specific historical aspects and continues to write a regular newspaper column ‘Under the Sea Grape Tree’ about the history and cul­ture of the three Windward Islands, with special em­phasis on Saba,” the Prince Bernhard Fund stated.

It is this dedication to preserving and impart­ing knowledge about the unique and great history of Saba and its neighbour­ing islands that has earned Johnson the 2017 PBCCG prize.

The prize was awarded in the presence of Island Governor Jonathan John­son, who also represents the PBCCG Board in Saba, Commissioner of Culture Rolando Wilson, Johnson’s family and close friends, as well as representatives of Saba organisations.

“It is the sincere hope of the Board of the PBCCG that this prize will also in­spire young people to con­tribute to the collective memory of our islands,” it was stated.

The Daily Herald.