When Danes visit the U.S. Virgin Islands, they are reminded of their own history, Gov. Charles Turnbull said at a press conference Friday morning in Copenhagen.
And history was on the mind of the U.S. Virgin Islands' historian/governor a day before the 151st anniversary of when enslaved Africans in the then Danish West Indies were emancipated.
"We have a shared history and a shared friendship through The Danish West Indian Society and The Friends of Denmark Society in the U.S. Virgin Islands," Turnbull said.
And history is the main reason for Turnbull's visit. He is meeting with
Danish government officials to attain copies for the territory of West Indies archival records stored in Denmark. Most of the colonial archival materials are held by the Danes in the National Archives, known as Rigsarkivet.
Later today, Turnbull will meet with Historian Minister Niels Helveg Petersen and Minister of Culture Elsebeth Gerner Nielsen. It is from Nielsen's ministry that the first donation came to start copying and registering West Indies archives so it will be easier for Virgin Islanders to access their history.
After Friday morning's press conference, participants went by sightseeing bus along Copenhagen Harbor to see the warehouse district, where the old West Indian Warehouse still stands.
The group then traveled to Assistens Cemetery to visit the Peter von
Scholten Mausoleum. There, Turnbull gave von Scholten, former Governor General of the Danish West Indies based on St. Croix, credit for making the right choice when, confronted by thousands of torch-bearing slaves, he read his emancipation proclamation. Von Scholten's decision avoided the destruction of Frederiksted and hundreds of plantations on St. Croix by slaves, lead by General Buddhoe.
For the future, Turnbull emphasized the need for young people in Denmark
and the V.I. to forge a stronger friendship for the coming millennium.
The governor will deliver the keynote address at a Fourth of July celebration in Denmark sponsored by the Rebild National Park Society. He will also attend several other ceremonial events, included a dinner with members of the West Indian Society.
Meanwhile, it was raining when Turnbull's press conference started. But by the end, the sun had emerged and the governor said he was pretty sure it was influenced by his visit from the sunny Virgin Islands.
