On Tuesday, November 26, the Fundacion Lanta Papiamento (FLP) organized an evening lecture presented by Mr. Ramon Todd Dandaré, Magister in Linguistics.
The lecture, Den kibra di marduga: Aurora di un lenga Crioyo – Papiamento, focused on the oldest known Papiamento texts and their cultural and historical value.
The event attracted a large audience, attending either in person or via livestream.
For those who could not be present but are interested, the livestream is still available. The link is:
https://www.youtube.com/live/6gYS3HvqT5Y?si=H2q6BrE0hqEyC5Zg
What Mr. Todd Dandaré presented surprised many attendees. Many were unaware that Papiamento is so old and has held such an important role within the community.
He discussed texts from 1775, 1776, 1783, and 1803. These writings give us valuable insight into the history and development of Papiamento. They also tell us much about the time period and the circumstances in which they were written.
For example, in the so-called “Love Letter” from 1775, we read about the troubled relationship between Abraham de David da Costa Andrade Jr., a Sephardic Jew, and his lover Sarah de Isaac Pardo y Vaz Farro. Remarkably, we can still understand this letter without difficulty.
Another very interesting letter is one written by a Dutch mother in Curaçao on behalf of her newborn child, addressed to the father in the Netherlands. In the letter, the infant speaks entirely in Papiamento to his father. This letter dates from 1783.
The oldest known text discovered on Aruba was written on June 22, 1803. It is a declaration by 26 residents in support of commander Pieter Specht against B.G. Quant.
Also important to mention are the first printed books in Papiamento. These include religious books from the Catholic Church by Niewindt (1833, 1837), Conradi (1844), Van Dragt (1847), and Putman (1850). In 1862 and 1864, Reverend Kuiperi published two books for the Protestant community on Aruba.
The audience had many questions, and the discussion was lively. There is much to learn about our language, Papiamento, and FLP is pleased to see growing interest. In 2026, FLP will organize even more interesting programs. Stay tuned!
Great interest in the lecture by Ramon Todd Dandaré about the oldest Papiamento texts
