"BIBA KORSOW" I BENDISHONA TUR KU TA BIBA AKI, I TUR KU LO KIER BIN BIBA RIBA NOS DUSHI BARANKA!

Not long ago Prime Minister Kevin Rudd from Australia made a statement about people living in his country who don’t want to adjust and accept their way of living.

This statement has great value for our community too.

I’m writing this in English to show the whole world and all the people living in Curacao, who don’t speak or understand Papiamentu that WE, did our best to communicate in this international language.

We are proud to say that the great majority of “Ju di Korsow” is able to communicate in, Dutch, English, Spanish and not to mention Papiamentu.

This shows that we did our best to give the great majority of the world, the opportunity, to communicate with us and to be able to welcome them in their own language, when they arrive on our beautiful Island.

Now, if you decide to come and live here, there must have been a reason or something that you liked.

Come, be welcome, and enjoy our Island, but please, don’t try to take away or change what you don’t like.

We like the whole package, remember, we created it.

Changing or taking away part of our culture is like breaking into someone’s home and stealing their most precious possessions.

I would like to enforce Rudd’s quote:

“Immigrants, not Australians, must adapt”

by repeating this with a slight change:

“Immigrants, not “ju di Korsow, must adapt”

Especially the ones arriving from Holland and also the “ju  di Korsow” repatriating after years of living in Holland

Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of US worrying about whether we are offending some individual, their culture or their belief system.

This culture has been developed over long period of struggles, fighting colonization and soothing our grieves singing, dancing and partying. Our hard work has been the primary reason for many multinationals to have made millions on this small Island.

Still we are called lazy!

Was it, that we were more productive in those days when our culture and belief system were accepted?

Or was it that we feel that we should be valued more?

Whatever it is, please respect us!

We are still fighting to receive equal treatment and autonomy.