WILLEMSTAD - The Curaçao National Commission for UNESCO announced on Monday last the recipients of this year’s Mother Language Prize Papiamentu. Arte di Palabra (Word Art) and Stichting Monumentenfonds Curaçao (Monument Fund Curaçao Foundation) are the proud recipients of the 6th prestigious UNESCO Curaçao Prize for Mother Language Papiamentu for 2021. This year’s Prize was awarded a day after the world wide celebration of International Mother Language Day which was on Sunday February 21, 2021.
It is in this month of February that we also remember that it was 63 years ago that Member of the Island Council Mr. Modesto A. ‘Chano’ Margaretha during his dissertation in the Island Council meeting on February 8th, 1959 stood up and spoke in Papiamentu, notwithstanding the objections of the Chairperson to direct himself in Dutch.
Activities on awareness of Papiamentu took place from February 8th until February 22nd with the culmination of the announcement of this year’s winners.
In all three nominations were received namely Arte di Palabra, Stichting Monumentenfonds Curaçao and Radio Z86 Curom, the oldest and first radio station on the island that promoted and still stands for proper use of Papiamentu in speaking, writing and having many locally produced Papiamentu programmes on the radio.
Arte di Palabra an organisation that stimulates youngsters to write and compose in their mother tongue won in the category of volunteer and non-professional. In the professional category Stichting Monumentenfonds Curaçao with the digital story book Kucho den Hanchinan di Otrobanda that takes place in Willemstad and in particular around the Otrobanda district, which has made an important contribution to the social and cultural education of the Curaçao population, won in the category of professionals.
A jury consisting of 3 renowned Papiamentu specialists judged the nominations according to criteria stipulated.
Each year UNESCO focuses on a theme for the celebration of this day and the theme for 2021 International Mother Language Day, “Fostering multilingualism for inclusion in education and society,” recognizes that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion and the Sustainable Development Goals’ focus on leaving no one behind. UNESCO believes education, based on the first language or mother tongue, must begin from the early years as early childhood care and education is the foundation of learning.
Various quotes were written for the occasion by various countries and one of the quotes that stands out from all: "If my mother tongue is shaking the foundations of your kingdom, it means that you have created your kingdom on my land.”