Vicky Arens presents permanent project in the Netherlands on Aruba’s colonial past and cultural identity

AMSTERDAM — Cas di Cultura director Vicky Arens represented Aruba at the symposium “REPAIR. Learning Cultural Justice from the ABC Islands” in the Netherlands, where she presented the institution’s work on colonial heritage and Aruba’s cultural identity.

The REPAIR project concluded on September 23 after a year of dialogue involving partners from Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and the Netherlands. Led by Utrecht University academics Camila Malig and Jamila Mascat, the initiative focused on the lasting impact of colonialism on cultural heritage and on how reparative approaches can contribute to greater cultural justice.

During the program at the Eye Collection Center in Amsterdam, representatives from cultural, socio-cultural and educational sectors discussed the need for stronger cooperation, communication, understanding and equality within the Kingdom. A day earlier, at Pakhuis de Zwijger, various examples of cultural justice were presented, alongside films from the ABC islands, including the documentary Memoria Ancestral by Natusha Croes.

Arens concluded her presentation by announcing a permanent exhibition inspired by Memoria Ancestral, to be developed as part of the renovation of Cas di Cultura. The exhibition will cover the history of Mon Plaisir, the founding of Het Cultureel Centrum in 1958 and the development of Cas di Cultura’s Aruban identity.