WILLEMSTAD - From Scharloo & Pietermaai quarters throughout Punda streets and alleys emerges a small historic shop with its grey smudged walls by car exhaust & corrosion: ‘Shon Benchi’, the Godfather of Curacao Carnival. Upon his request I will not mention his age, knowing that his mother told him a long time ago that birthdays are to be celebrated only at a younger age and not during the last stages of life. Shon is the one who brought the Carnival spirit to the island 60 years ago!
Born and raised in Curacao, Shon Benchi is one of the few dreamers whose mind knows no limit. His soft curly tangles fall on a heavily lined face with a body bent with age. As his eyes sparkle with memories, a shadow of his former self smiles & greets customers. With a high voltage stare, he jabs a finger into the tabletop with a frenzied shout and says:” I am the godfather of Curacao Carnival”.
In the early 60s, Curacao didn’t experience the Carnival as it is now. There were different masqueraded parties taking place at different social clubs on the island to name few. Some of them included the Bonaire club, the Venezuela club, and the Suriname club. They were parties held up indoors in style where anonymous invitees wore masks throughout the evening, dancing and eating until the clock struck midnight when everyone had to reveal the person behind the mask. Among those clubs was the Elite club, the one that harbored the rich people of the island according to Shon Benchi. They wanted to organize a jump out style outside their social club and got the right permit for that, but it was a mess. All the people in the streets tried to join in, but the clothing was inadequate, and the result was total chaos.
I am here to serve you, but not to take your abuse
Shon Benchi then decided to get a permit for all the people of Curacao to be able to participate in the parade. He contacted different clubs and encouraged groups to create themes and design clothes. His dream was to make the Carnival walk from Roodeweg (Otrobanda) to Punda area. When almost everyone was ready and the time was closing in, his permit was rejected for different reasons which he didn’t want to go through, but he didn’t stop. The Carnival took place, and he was arrested afterward. He laughs loudly telling me that the police back then were unable to put everyone in jail, they were too many, that’s why the event went on.
The Carnival was extremely successful, and later on, throughout the years, Tumba was infused in the march, and costumes were as loud as their drums. The huge trailers couldn’t pass on the Juliana bridge however due to the heavy load they have (music instruments-band-generator).
Shon Benchi is proud that he didn’t take a penny from the government. All groups financed their own march, and the conversation went on and on, with people entering the shop greeting us. I even met a tourist who was very interested in the story (I tried to explain it a bit in English). He grabbed a beer and joined the interview as a listener, and he was fascinated by the old writings on the shop wall and even took a picture with Shon Benchi whom I asked before leaving about his feelings towards his past, he signaled victory with his hand expressing his endless wish to have Roodeweg Street named after him!