WILLEMSTAD - The General Faculty of the University of Curaçao Dr. Moises da Costa Gomez (UoC) organized a successful seminar on Nation Building and Nation Branding on Friday, May 6. On May 5, two public introductory lectures on the theme of slavery as cultural heritage were given by Prof. Dr. Gert Oostindie (KITLV) and Prof. Dr. Alex van Stipriaan (Erasmus University Rotterdam), respectively.
During his lecture, Oostindie presented the theme of slavery from a world-historical point of view. Van Stipriaan did this from a local approach. In his work, for example, he described the historical role of Rotterdammers in the slave trade, but also their lives and deeds in Curaçao. Also, to illustrate how Curaçao could do the same from its historical point of view. Both gentlemen pointed to the dangers of euro centralism in history, i.e., history from an exclusively European point of view.
The seminar was opened by the Dean of the General Faculty, Drs A. Fernandes, with Mario Kleinmoedig (publicist and presenter) as moderator and experts from various disciplines and backgrounds took part.
The local speakers then gave a short presentation with leading conclusions. Historian and anthropologist Dimitri Cloose discussed the fact that Curacao still often lacks policy resources to continue nation-building and to properly present the Curaçao brand and its cultural heritage.
It also emerged that Papiamentu is important as a connecting element in nation-building. Prof. dr. Ronald Severing even sees opportunities to use Papiamentu as an extra enrichment for the promotion of Curaçao abroad. Young bachelor Richailine Elisa concluded that all information about nation-building and nation branding efforts will be ineffective outwardly as long as the youth continues to find information on the subject of "heritage" old-fashioned and boring.