Between Davos, Tumor Tourism and Tumba

Between Davos, Tumor Tourism and Tumba

24 January 2026

It is Friday afternoon, and the evening is falling. It has been a heavy third week of the new year — but why, exactly? While in Davos, the contours of a new world order are being drawn ever more sharply, here in Curaçao, we are celebrating the pathological growth of mass tourism. That new world order is increasingly marked by power politics, resource competition, and the erosion of old certainties — precisely the kind of global context in which small islands become even more vulnerable (NOS, 2026).

That growth on Curaçao is pathological in an almost literal sense: as if our island itself is beginning to show signs of tumor-like expansion, comparable to the recently confirmed tumor disease in a sea turtle (Antilliaans Dagblad, 2026). A form of growth that will inevitably lead to self-destruction and ecological damage.

More and more people are now speaking out openly against this. Among them is Peter-John de Jong, in his submitted opinion piece on bubbles, cocktail chatter and hidden cesspits, in which he sharply reflects on the course of our society and the price we seem willing to pay for superficial success (De Jong, 2026).

But on Monday carnival will truly erupt when the annual Tumba Festival begins. That will, at least temporarily, cover up the fact that criminal complaints have once again been filed against two ministers for concealing outside positions. In times of systemic decay and moral erosion, administrative integrity increasingly seems to be the first casualty (Curacao.nu, 2026).

Miguel Goede

You can look at it dramatically — and it is dramatic. But you can also say: if only we manage to learn something from it.

Sources (APA)

Antilliaans Dagblad. (2026, 19 januari). Tumorziekte bij zeeschildpad bevestigd.https://antilliaansdagblad.com/nieuws-menu/curacao/32319-tumorziekte-zeeschildpad-bevestigd

Curacao.nu. (2026). Aangifte tegen ministers legt kwetsbaarheid politiek systeem bloot.https://www.curacao.nu/nieuws/commentaar/84946/aangifte-tegen-ministers-legt-kwetsbaarheid-politiek-systeem-bloot

De Jong, P.-J. (2026, 20 januari). Ingezonden: Bubbels, borrelpraat en beerputten. Antilliaans Dagblad.https://antilliaansdagblad.com/nieuws-menu/opiniecolumn/32327-ingezonden-bubbels-borrelpraat-en-beerputten

NOS. (2026). Applaus en lof voor Canadese premier met speech over einde huidige wereldorde.https://nos.nl/artikel/2599090-applaus-en-lof-voor-canadese-premier-met-speech-over-einde-huidige-wereldorde