Agriculture Is the Future June 2, 2026 I recently wrote three articles about agriculture and food security (Goede, 2025a; Goede, 2025b; Goede, 2025c). In those articles, I argued that Curaçao rarely considers the agricultural sector as a new economic pillar in the diversification of our economy, which remains heavily dependent on tourism. I also argued that agriculture certainly offers opportunities, but not in the way some people imagine. It is unrealistic to expect the agri

Monday Blues May 31, 2026 Today is Sunday, May 31, and tomorrow will be Monday, June 1, 2026. For many people, that means Monday Blues. The year is already nearly halfway gone, and June will be the month of the 2026 World Cup. To be honest, I already have a touch of the Sunday Blues. At the same time, the word blue has taken on a completely different meaning for us. We are not living on a pink cloud, but on a blue one. Ever since our national team, affectionately know

30 May 2026 May 30, 2026 On Thursday, May 28, during the weekly shopping night, the city was illuminated in blue and World Cup fever truly began to take hold. Nationalism and patriotism are running high. This celebration will not end with Curaçao’s eventual elimination from the tournament; its effects will linger long afterward. We are rightly proud and, for several weeks, we will be part of the world's headlines. People who have never heard of Curaçao will now hear our n

The Pope Warns About AI May 28, 2026 Pope Leo XIV’s criticism of AI in his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, is not that AI is inherently bad. On the contrary, he acknowledges its enormous benefits. His concerns focus primarily on how AI may be used and on its broader societal consequences. The key points are: 1. AI Concentrates Power The Pope warns that AI could further concentrate power in the hands of a small number of large technology companies, governments,

Offline Knows Who You Are May 28, 2026 On Wednesday, after my meeting with my accountability partner, I walked through the mall toward my car in the parking lot. There I saw a lady who had once told me that she reads my pieces every single day. She never leaves a like, by the way, so I always took it with a grain of salt. This time, she called out to me and asked why I had not published anything yet that day. And she was right. So she really does read my writing every d

When Intangible Heritage Disappears, a People Dies May 27, 2026 In 2019, the government sold our telecommunications company UTS, including its infrastructure and everything connected to it. Seven years later, almost everyone seems to agree that this did not turn out to be a success story. The island is now left with a telecommunications sector that, according to many, is badly in need of improvement. Now, I do not want to claim that UTS itself was intangible heritage. A

We Must Not Become Powerless and Discouraged May 26, 2025 I started Monday full of energy and drive. After answering some emails, I picked up my wife and drove her to the car rental company because her car is in the garage. On the way home, I stopped briefly at our beach, Caracas Bay. Suddenly, a large truck carrying enormous boulders drove in front of me. Instinctively, I thought: how strange. After greeting the sea for a moment from inside the car, I made a U-turn t

From Efficient Service to Experience May 23, 2026 Recently, I had to get my car inspected because, while waiting for my new license plates to arrive, my inspection card had expired, and I had failed to pay attention to renewing it on time. So I ended up having to pay the higher fee. I made an appointment online. About ten years ago, the inspection office was so organized that you would actually receive a letter inviting you to bring in your car for inspection before the c

Repetition of Talk May 22, 2026 The Antilliaans Dagblad extensively reports on a session organized by the Curaçao Hospitality and Tourism Association (Chata) about the future of tourism. There is discussion about sustainability, balance, quality over quantity, carrying capacity, infrastructure, and the well-being of the population. All understandable and, in themselves, valid points. But honestly, I read very little that is truly new. It reminds me of Chata’s cri de cœu

Politics Is Entertainment May 21, 2026 Several years ago, I wrote that politics follows the same pattern as a reality show, where at the end of each episode, viewers decide which participant should be sent home. Part of the game is the entire media ecosystem surrounding it, constantly commenting on the game and on the decisions being made. We are seeing that, once again, this is now happening with the election of a new board member for a political party. It is pure ente

The Heat Is On May 19, 2026 It is hot. The Meteorological Service warns that it will only get hotter in the coming days. And in just over three weeks, the 2026 World Cup will begin. Preparations for the celebration are starting. Curaçao has, in many ways, already won by qualifying. From this point on, it is mostly about enjoying and celebrating the fact that we are part of it. Anything beyond that is a bonus. As long as the tournament lasts — and that will probably be

Those Without Youth Have No Future May 18, 2026 I read that, according to Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, the number of births continues to decline. At the same time, many young people leave for abroad to pursue their studies. This demographic decline among the young further accelerates the aging of our society. We also see that the education system often does not equip young people adequately for the future. More and more children are ending up in special education

There is a system of oppression and poverty 16 May 2026 It is becoming increasingly clear that while the economy is growing, poverty is growing right alongside it. The events of the past few days are revealing once again the elements of a system that not only produces poverty but also actively maintains it. We are seeing the protests unfold before our eyes. Large groups of citizens are expressing their frustration because they have waited for years, sometimes twenty, th

We Can’t Let It Go 15 May 2026 It is not simply because the new prime minister of the Netherlands happened to be visiting here, but over the past few days, I have noticed more and more how slavery, the colonial past, and the relationship between Willemstad and The Hague keep returning as topics of conversation and writing. It feels as though these themes are starting to dominate everything. Whether the subject is football or poverty reduction, the same frame keeps comin

Appointments 14 May 2026 I am waiting at the inspection office for my new inspection card. According to the thermometer in my car, it is 37 degrees outside. I can believe it, but that is not what I want to talk about now. In my view, there is quite a lot happening at the moment around appointments to important positions. The clearest example is the appointment of a new national team coach. It illustrates something I think matters: results do not depend only on a person’s qual

Monday, May 11, 2026 May 11, 2026 I was up early. Not because I had to attend the CINEX coffee morning, but simply because I had a short night. I had actually already decided to skip that first meeting because the agenda seemed packed. After helping all my clients online, I got ready and still headed to the gathering. The vibe was quite good. A former student gave a TED-style talk about what the Curaçao mission to Silicon Valley had achieved. If we really want to do somet

Between Pride and Unease May 10, 2026 May 10 was Mother’s Day. Tomorrow, May 11, marks exactly one month until the opening of the FIFA World Cup. Curaçao made history by qualifying, yet the island seems far from ready for what lies ahead. In recent days, the discussion has mainly focused on the possible return of Dick Advocaat as national team coach. Apparently, that is the wish of sponsors, some players, and parts of the Dutch media. It is emotionally exhausting. I

Hantavirus May 9, 2026 From May 6 onward, the first cases were reported. After that, it moved faster than I expected. I was in shock and said nothing. My trainer at the gym asked me when I would finally write about it. Of course, our collective trauma from COVID-19 immediately resurfaces. We never truly recovered from it. Hardly had the pandemic ended before the war in Ukraine began. Meanwhile, islands like ours have become increasingly dependent on tourism. Let us hope

Overweight and Prevention May 8, 2026 Yesterday I did not write. I was traveling, but that was not the reason. I notice that many people are finally speaking out about the uncontrolled construction boom linked to investments, especially in tourism, and the consequences for young people and low-income families. Education and youth issues are also receiving more attention. That matters. I only hope this attention does not disappear once the public debate moves on. In a mo

Concrete Is Not Development May 6, 2026 This statement takes on a particular meaning in light of the island's construction boom. Today, I was prompted by reports about the opening of the new building of the National Laboratory ADC. Former minister Whiteman also used this statement regularly in the context of the new hospital. He consistently emphasized that the concrete of a new hospital does not equate to an improvement in the quality of care; that is primarily determined