WILLEMSTAD - The Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Caribbean Region has officially changed its name to the Cultuurfonds Caribbean Region. This follows a similar development in the Netherlands, where the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds underwent the same name change last year.
The name change in the Netherlands occurred during a period when Prince Bernhard, who passed away in 2004, was back in the news. In 2022, his original membership card for the NSDAP was discovered—something he had denied until his death. The card was found in the prince’s private archive at Soestdijk Palace, inventoried by Flip Maarschalkerweerd, the former director of the Royal House Archive.
Controversy
The discovery of the membership card caused quite a stir within the cultural fund. "We were surprised by this revelation and the existence of the document," the fund stated at the time. "We will assess what this news means for us as a cultural organization."
The NSDAP, founded in 1920, was known for its extreme nationalist and racist ideology. Prince Bernhard terminated his membership in 1936, the year he became engaged to Princess Juliana. However, the physical card was never destroyed. Evidence of his membership had previously been uncovered by American historians, who discovered a copy of the NSDAP card in 1996.
Prince Bernhard's Nazi past sharply contrasts with his later reputation as a resistance hero during World War II. From London, he led the Dutch resistance. Historian Annejet van der Zijl described Bernhard's life as "very divided," noting that after the war, he cultivated his image as a resistance hero.
Anjers (Carnations)
The Cultuurfonds, previously known by names such as the Prins Bernhardfonds and Anjerfonds, was founded in 1940 as the Spitfire Fund in London to raise funds for war materials. After the war, the fund shifted its focus to culture and nature conservation. Since 1950, the Dutch branch of the fund has annually awarded the Zilveren Anjers (Silver Carnations) to volunteers who have made significant contributions to culture or nature.
The Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Caribbean Region was established in 1953 for the former Netherlands Antilles. During its inauguration ceremony, Prince Bernhard gave a speech emphasizing how cultural influences are often exchanged between communities.
He explained that the Prins Bernhard Fund actually originated in Curaçao 13 years earlier when the employees of the Royal Dutch Shell refinery, led by J.M. Booy, formed a fund to support the Allied war effort.
Although the fund was practically established in London, Prince Bernhard honored Curaçao as the birthplace of the idea. He stressed that the fund, while transformed over time, continues to uphold the tradition of responsibility and solidarity, symbolized by the white carnation—a symbol of importance in occupied Netherlands during World War II.
Culture Prize
The Caribbean edition of the fund awards a Culture Prize to highlight the work of the winners and promote the production of high-quality achievements in six cultural sectors: history and literature, visual arts, performing arts, art and cultural education, nature conservation, and heritage preservation.
For 58 years, the Cultuurfonds has provided grants to many organizations, groups, and individuals across the six islands, contributing to the cultural well-being of their inhabitants.
When Aruba left the Antillean constellation after 1986, the board members chose to remain unified under one foundation. After 2010, following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, the members once again opted to continue working together within one foundation to support projects across the islands.