Go behind the scenes of Whispers of the Past with host Fi de Wit, as she shares the story behind the series. From childhood summers on Statia to archaeological digs and the legacy of women left out of the archives, this episode traces the emotional and creative process behind season one.

Discover the inspiration, the unexpected turns, and the team that brought these whispers to life. Learn how grief, memory, and community shaped a podcast rooted in care and resistance, and how the journey continues. This is more than a recap. It’s a love letter to ancestral resilience, and a call to keep listening.

—

Produced by Simpler Media

>> Unidentified (Podcast Host): Welcome to Wisps of the Past. I'm your host,

Fitovit, and in this episode, I

invite you behind the scenes of season

one. This series began as

a whisper in my own heart, a calling

to trace stories hidden in plain sight across

interstacias, a place I hold dear in

my heart due to my own ties with this beautiful

island. My desire was to tell history

not only through documents and dates, but through the

lives of women. Why women, you may ask?

Because growing up and still, if

we look at history, it's almost

always men that are being highlighted, and

women are just simply left outside of the

narrative. But it was the women who

held families together, who led in

silence, grieved in private,

and carved their wisdom into the land.

Throughout this season, we explore the

legacy of a major focal society

on this island, where strength

is quiet and resilience often

worn like a second skin. We

examined folklore and theory

and followed the devastating echoes left by

enslavement, migration, and

silence. And in

doing so, we made space.

Space for what was too often left out

of the narrative. The stories of

enslaved women.

Women whose voices were erased. Erased

from the archives, overwritten by Eurocentric

records that measured value in land,

names and power, but not in

care, kinship, or survival.

This podcast has been a way to bring those voices to

light and to shift the lens,

to say, hey, we are here. We

mattered, and we still do. So in this special

episode, I'm going to share with you how this

season came to be the inspiration behind

it. Some unexpected turns,

and where the whispers might carry us next.

This podcast didn't just begin in the

studio. It began with a feeling, a

longing, a whisper.

The reason why I began Whispers of the Past

is threefold. It's rooted in

memory, mentorship, and a

quiet fire that turned into action.

So the first reason is the island,

Stacia. I grew up between two

worlds. The greyness of the Netherlands and

the sun soaked soul of Stacia.

Every summer and some winters, we came back

here. And every time we returned back to the Netherlands,

my parents would say, she got the Stacia blues

because I did. Because something would stay

behind among the volcanic black

sand, the crystal blue ocean, and the

familiar laughter of people who raised me with kindness and

stories. For me, the island softened

the edges of the world. And it was

this place that has shaped my becoming.

The second reason is my godmom,

Mrs. Suta Cow.

How did you feel when I said I wanted to do this

and that you were a big inspiration for me?

>> Ms. Sutekau: I was very proud of you for that I

also had my reservations,

because finding out the history of

the women is very difficult.

This is the same thing as finding out

the history of a country.

History is written by the conqueror

and the powerful. It is not

written by the conqueror and the

less powerful. And, uh, in history,

women have always been

considered less powerful.

They aren't, but they

had to wield their power in a

gentle way. At

the same time, they were

not recognized for the

powers they really were.

>> Unidentified (Podcast Host): My godmom took me to archaeological digs when I

was just a kid, and she told me to

look down through the soil of memory,

because when you walk, you'll see

stories everywhere. And it was through

her that I first learned that history is

not something in the past or something very far away.

It lives in our hands, in the soil we walk

on, in the women who were never written into

books but lived full lives. Anyway,

it was her that inspired me to look at

history through the lens of women.

And then, thirdly, a book.

It's a book called if Women Rose,

rooted by Sharon Blackie.

Though the book itself is really woven from

Celtic myths and European soil,

it offered a truth that crossed oceans.

One of the things that she writes about in her book

is change begins small.

And we can either sit in our grief and our frustration

with the silences of history, or we

can rise and speak. So this podcast

is my rising, a way of honoring the

women history erased and letting their strength

echo forward through sound, through

memory, and through you.

Since beginning this journey, something unexpected happened.

My anger towards the patriarchy has

quietened, and the

resentment that I held has softened.

Because in telling these stories, I stepped into

action. And action is its own

kind of healing. It's

my hope that this offering becomes part of a much

older ripple of change, one that began with women

way before me,

the ancestors who had no microphones, but left

legacy in their footsteps.

And that in your own way, in your own voice,

you too will carry it forward.

So nothing is ever really done in isolation.

And this podcast, this living

archive of memory, was. Would have never

come to life without the people and the support that

surrounded it.

So, first of all, a dream needs roots.

I had an idea, a vision,

a feeling in my chest that I wouldn't let go

for about two and a half years. In my mind, I had already

created this podcast. But it wasn't

until I started conversations with

culture, Fons Karibi, Schebit

and Fons for Kultur Participati,

who gave this project wings.

They saw possibility in the idea. They

believe that storytelling,

especially storytelling, rooted in Caribbean soil

deserve to be funded and deserve to be

heard. We live

in a world where dreams need money, and that's

unfortunately, the truth. And I'm

endlessly grateful that these funds

made space for voices often pushed to the

margins, women's voices,

and in particularly in our case,

voices from synthesias.

Because of that support, the financial support that this

project was granted, I was

able to build a team.

And let me tell you, behind every whisper you've heard,

there's been a chorus of hands, heart, and hard

work.

So part of this amazing team, we have

Eugene, our, uh, sound designer. He's in the studio

with me right now.

We've had Ankeli,

who helped me also with recordings for voiceovers.

Sarah, our web designer, who took a

vision and made it visible.

Our, uh, podcast producers, Ivo and Ali,

who helped me shape the foundation of the podcast and the

distribution. And, um,

the graphic designer, Niquet, who translated

each episode and the podcast logo into a visual

image. And last

but not least, we have Vanessa and Chandra, two

sisters from this very island who handled our

social media with care, care and pride.

Now, I had this dream

of only hiring women, not because

I'm against men, actually, far from it. I've

been shaped by strong, tender men too.

But I wanted to tip the skill evenly

to empower more women through this process behind the mic

as well as in front of it.

And then there was another stumbling block

that I came across

because life happens Covid

deadlines, full time job,

moments where I thought I wouldn't finish. But somehow,

somehow we made it. Because that's the magic of

community. You find your people, you keep

going. Even when it's messy and even when it's

hard.

M so how did we do it technically? Well, it was a

dance between remote interviews

because most of the people that you hear on this podcast

are not necessarily located here.

Zoom calls voice notes

recording in quiet corners of the island.

And then for the visuals, chasing good light. And it wasn't

always perfect, but it was real.

And maybe that's what makes it beautiful.

So if you're listening and you've got an

idea, a story, a vision,

my advice, find your people, start where you are,

and don't be afraid to whisper into this world

some of the highlights and stumbling

blocks. So if I had to

pick a favorite moment from this season,

honestly, it's kind of hard because every episode we poured

in so much effort.

But I have kind of two highlights.

For me, episode two on the Amerindians has a

special place in my heart.

It really reminded me that Stacia's story did not

begin with the colonizers or even the

traitors. It began with a deep, sacred

relationship with the land, with

the elements. Uh, even the indigenous name,

Aloui Island. And

this was so unexpected. I didn't realize that

there was a matrifocal society here.

That was such an unexpected fact to

discover. And then

episode four, the Curse of the Blue Bead.

That one really hit me in the gut. I did not

expect it to be so emotional. And

writing those voiceovers broke something in me.

I cried a lot during that time. I felt the

injustice, the way women

were treated, how that pain was woven into

silence. And it just made me so angry,

deeply upset and frustrated.

Not just for them, but also how often those patterns

are still present in our life today.

Something I definitely did not anticipate was the emotional

toll that this kind of storytelling takes.

I'm a highly sensitive person,

um, and this wasn't just a creative

project. It required me

often to process kind of this grief that I felt that

wasn't always mine, almost like a collective grief.

And I sometimes had to start

scheduling emotional space, not just the editing

time. Often when we

have an episode going live, like, I had already listened to it

five times. But, yeah,

when I started this project, the podcast producer,

EFO would often say, like, ooh, that's an

aggressive timeline. And

it's true. You just. Things come up that you don't

account for. And this is definitely one of my lessons that

I learned.

So sometimes, you know, life gets in the way. Deadline waivers.

And, yeah, he was right.

Creating something this layer, this alive, takes more than

discipline. It also really takes hard space.

One of the brightest lights in all of this is, you know,

spending time with the elders. I give chair yoga

on a weekly basis, so I already have a

bond. But sitting down with some of the elders and recording

their stories, their laughter, their wisdom,

that was really something magical. And I'll never

forget one of the quotes by Mrs. Rivers,

what I like about Stacia.

You are free.

>> Ms. Sutekau: I, uh, am free.

>> Unidentified (Podcast Host): I didn't expect her to say this. We were talking,

and she says that she's free.

Um, and that's why she loves Stacia, because of the

freedom here. It was just so simple. But in that

moment, I just. I felt like, yes,

we're going to use that to bring this

series to an end. Because freedom

isn't always loud.

It's a quiet truth spoken by someone who has lived enough life

to know what it really, really means.

So you might wonder the Big question. Will

there be a season two?

And the answer is the whispers

haven't gone quiet. It's still

humming in the background, soft

and persistent. There

are more stories waiting, more

voices still unheard, more roots

to uncover beneath the soil of memory.

And for now, we are taking a short creative pause

to breathe, to reflect,

to listen again before speaking.

So we're exploring new themes and looking into funding

and what's possible.

It's really important for me to move with intention,

and we want to build this next chapter with reference.

So, yes, the ambition is alive. And when it's

time, we'll return with more echoes,

more truth, and more

of a fierce, quiet courage that began this

journey. So please stay

close. Watch this space,

and when the next whisper rises, you'll be the

first to know.

Before we close, I want to pause and

say thank you. First of all, to you, the

listeners who turned in from near and far,

who made space in your heart

and your headphones for these stories to live

again. Your presence

gave this work breath.

And to the remarkable team behind Whispers of the Past,

thank you for carrying me and this vision

from production to design, from sound to story.

You elevated each episode into something I could

only dream of.

Thank you to my personal cheerleaders, my friends

who encouraged me from the beginning.

And then we have the voices, the ones you

heard, and the ones who remain

unnamed. Thank you

to Mrs. Tsutakao, to Mr. Richardson,

Dr. Anna Hanslin, Dr.

Elaine, Dr. Stelton,

Dr. Morsink, and Dr.

Sahidi. Your scholarship,

your expertise grounded the soul

of this series.

And then to the local wisdom keepers, Governor

Francis, Mr. Burkle,

Mrs. Rivers, and Mrs. Bennett.

Your stories made the past feel like a living room we

could sit in. Every word you shared

became a thread woven into collective remembering.

This podcast began as a whisper,

a quiet yearning to reclaim the untold,

to make space for women's voices in archives

where silences had settled.

It was never just about history. It was

about healing and about reclaiming the right to say,

we're here. We mattered and we

carried on. If there's anything I hope

you take from this, let it be this.

Stories are not just remnants of the past. They

are reminders of what we can still

transform. Until

next time. May the whispers lead you

where truth calls, where

healing awaits, and where the future is

shaped by those who dare to remember.

>> Speaker C: Welcome to my island.

My historical island.

Ask anyone.

Welcome to my island.

Welcome to my island.