For a small island Curacao is fairly divided between the elite, the others and the hybrids as I like to call them. It’s a wonder how they’ve been able to coexist so long next to each other without any major confrontations.
My definition of elite is the one you’ll find according to the Cambridge dictionary.
Elite: the richest, most powerful, best educated or most highly trained group in a society.
My definition of the others is the group of Curacao’s society consisting of the lower-middle class, the lower class and some from the upper middle class.
The hybrids are the ones who are symbiotic with both groups.
I’m definitely no expert in Curacao’s demographics nor am I a Socio-cultural anthropologist. It all started, to my accounts, when the Dutch’s had a lesser version of apartheid in Curacao. They had their own secured neighborhood in Jullianadorp and Emmestad, their children went to a separate school from the rest, their own private society clubs, etc.
As years went by just like any other nation, it was time for an uprising. On may 30th 1969 there was kind of a little revolution a la Che Guevara and Castro style, but without a doubt very primitive. After that a few rights that the workers demanded was met, but nothing major(from my point of view).
This brings us to today. Surely the classes have managed to coexist with each other over the years, but that’s not the way it’s supposed to be.
The elite today, just like the Dutch’s were have their own community. It’s surely not apartheid, nor do they discriminate per se. For Example:
They organize events like concerts and other types of events . In those events general public, consist mostly of the others, usually pays a standard price of say nafl. 25 to stand way in the back, but there is also premium price which people can go to the “the red carpet” as they call it, which is usually around nafl. 125. Just tell me who can afford that nafl. 125. The sad things is they do this with a lot of events.
The others also have their own parties and events, which usually go for the price of nafl 25 or less, some of them are even free organized by some institute for culture. The thing is you do not often see a lot of the elite there, obviously, unless it’s their own party. In December is when the young members of the elite and the others meet. You have popular local bands performing at different parties and both of the above mentioned classes visit them. What’s notably is that the parties usually cost a whopping nafl 125 or even more. By doing that you take out a major part of the others, meaning that the attendance usually consist of the upper middle class and members of the elite.
The biggest event in Curacao, the Carnaval, is also fairly divided. Apart from the Tumba Festival also having “a red carpet”/vip, the Carnaval parade itself is divided when you look at the constellations of the groups. Also along the route you can definitely spot where the elite constructed there venues. There are endless of other examples. Maybe I’m the only one seeing this.
Not much to say about the hybrids. They are like amphibians, they know both worlds. They certainly have a tendency to lean on one side over the other.
What’s wrong? You ask. There is nothing wrong, there is no confrontation, no actual discrimination.
It just doesn’t seem RIGHT.
‘I was given this world, I didn’t make it.’ - 2pac
- jeff
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