“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” – Marcus Garvey, Caribbean hero (1887–1940)
In recent days, there has been growing discussion about officially declaring July 2 as the day to celebrate both Curaçao’s flag and national anthem.
While it is true that the flag of Curaçao was inaugurated on July 2, 1984, the national anthem was officially adopted on July 26, 1978—not on July 2.
So why was July 2 chosen in the first place?
On July 2, 1951, Curaçao—following the first Island Council elections held on June 4, 1951—established its first form of self-government. Those who continue to claim that Curaçao only gained self-governance with the Statute in 1954 are ignoring history and perpetuating misinformation.
Michael Gorsira, the first President of the Island Council and the first to speak Papiamentu in that body, concluded his inaugural speech with powerful words. After beginning in Dutch, he stated: “Let us all remember that from now on we will have a government that we ourselves bring to power, and that we ourselves must carry full responsibility for everything that this government does. Let us demonstrate responsibility. That will be the best proof that we deserve the autonomy we have long desired.”
It was precisely because of this historic moment on July 2, 1951, that the decision was made to celebrate Curaçao’s flag on that date in 1984.
The sequence of history matters.
Yet now there are efforts to attach the national anthem to that same date, while not a single word is being dedicated to the fact that July 2, 1951 marked the beginning of self-governance for Curaçao. To make matters worse, this year marks 75 years of that milestone.
It raises a serious question: how can those who speak so loudly about patriotism overlook such a fundamental part of our history?
Alex David Rosaria (53) is a freelance consultant active in Asia & Pacific. He is a former Member of Parliament, Minister of Economic Affairs, State Secretary of Finance and UN Implementation Officer in Africa and Central America. He’s from Curaçao and has a MBA from the University of Iowa. (USA).