On May 17th, the first “Canon Day” took place at Fontein. It was a wonderful day that drew over 250 visitors, serving as the official opening event for the Historical Canon of Bonaire. The Canon of Bonaire is a modern timeline that provides an overview of special and significant individuals, locations, artifacts, and events throughout the history of Bonaire. In the near future, the Canon will be accessible via a dedicated website.
The goal of the Canon is to share Bonaire’s history in a simple and accessible manner. The Canon is also intended to be utilized within the educational system. Each topic within the Canon is referred to as a “window.” Accompanying each window will be a short text along with supplemental materials, such as books, photographs, videos, and podcasts related to the topic. The Canon illustrates to us how the past, present, and future are interconnected.
For this reason, Fontein was selected as the venue for Bonaire’s inaugural Canon Day. In ancient times, Fontein held great importance for the indigenous population, and to this day, it retains a special significance for Bonaire. We are building this Canon in collaboration with local experts and the community. During Canon Day, visitors were invited to propose topics for inclusion. Many attendees took advantage of this opportunity, writing down their ideas on the Canon board.
Shortly, we will publish these proposals on the website of the Public Entity of Bonaire. Following this, the community will be able to vote on the topics they deem most critical for the Canon’s first 30 windows. We plan to publish these initial windows by the end of 2028.
In the future, new windows can be added to the Canon. It will also be possible to adapt existing windows when new research yields fresh insights, or when a major event occurs that warrants a place in the timeline. The Canon will therefore continue to evolve. History never stands still; it keeps growing with new stories and information. In this way, Bonaire’s narrative will be preserved for generations to come.
During Canon Day, we also organized various cultural and historical activities. For their support, we would like to cordially thank our collaborative partners: FuHiKuBo for the cultural-historical tours, Adelina Piard and Alex Plantijn (Mangazina di Rei) for the medicinal herb workshop, Ghislaine Monte for the natural pigment workshop, and Dorian Crespo Gómez for the clay soap-making workshop.
Do you have feedback regarding Canon Day? Or would you like to assist in writing the Canon or organizing future cultural and historical activities? If so, please send an email to daudi.cijntje@bonairegov.com. The Public Entity of Bonaire coordinates this project, which is part of the Bonaire Slavery Past Action Agenda.
