At the National Library, Member of Parliament Xiomara Maduro attended an informative lecture organized by Fundacion Lanta Papiamento and presented by language researcher and promoter Ramon Todd Dandaré. The lecture was titled “Den kibra di madruga, Aurora di un lenga crioyo: Papiamento”, a presentation exploring the roots and deep development of our national language, Papiamento.
During the lecture, Todd Dandaré reviewed the oldest known texts in Papiamento. The historical pieces highlighted included:
– A love letter in Papiamento written 250 years ago, on October 5th, 1775, demonstrating that our language was already a vehicle for love and personal expression.
– The earliest known letter in Papiamento from Aruba, dated 1803, a document in which a group of predominantly Indigenous people filed a formal complaint, showing that Papiamento was already used as a social and administrative communication language in the 19th century.
– The first book in Papiamento from Aruba: a prayer book from the Protestant Church published in 1864, illustrating the role of the language in the spiritual life of the Aruban community.
MP Xiomara Maduro expresses her gratitude to Mr. Ramon Todd Dandaré and Fundacion Lanta Papiamento for their continuous dedication to preserving and appreciating the Papiamento language.
“Each document presented shows that Papiamento was created by the people themselves and grew along with our identity. We have the great responsibility to continue protecting, studying, and honoring our beloved language,” Maduro stated.
The parliamentarian emphasized that historical knowledge is essential to strengthen national pride, and therefore, we must continue promoting Papiamento at all levels of education, governance, and daily life.
“Cultura bo tin Bib’e! Our language is a living treasure, and we must continue giving it our attention today, tomorrow, and always.”
Press release: MEP
