Identity and Authenticity

Identity and Authenticity

June 18, 2026

In the midst of the World Cup, it is about more than football. It is also about identity, authenticity, and ethnicity.

In the Antilliaans Dagblad, I read two articles in which a young Bonairean woman explained that she increasingly feels less at home on her own island. According to her, it seems that Bonaireans are expected to adapt to the Dutch, rather than the other way around. As a result, the island feels less and less authentic to her. It is precisely for this reason that she has become more deeply engaged with Papiamentu as an important part of her identity and authenticity.

She draws a comparison with Aruba, which, in her view, has lost a significant part of its authenticity.

I visit Bonaire regularly, and virtually everyone who spends time on the island immediately understands what this young woman means. My concern is that the same may increasingly become true for Curaçao, albeit through a different process.

The transformation of areas such as Caracasbaai into concrete developments, and the resulting erosion of the character of the landscape, does not seem to me to be primarily the result of Dutch influence. On the contrary, I often get the impression that many Dutch people value the authenticity of Curaçao more than we do ourselves. After all, they come for our nature, culture, history, and unique identity.

The rise of pod housing is a different matter. These investment-driven developments are largely aimed at the Dutch market. As a result, not only does the landscape change, but so does the function of space. Residential areas increasingly become investment assets rather than places where local communities can grow, develop, and put down roots.

Authenticity, however, extends far beyond buildings, beaches, or landscapes. It is also found in language, culture, customs, music, stories, and the way people interact with one another. When a society speaks its own language less, knows less of its history, or loses control over its public spaces, it gradually loses something of itself.

This does not mean that development is wrong. Societies are constantly changing, and culture is never static. But development without regard for identity can ultimately lead to an island that grows economically while becoming less and less recognizable to the people who were born and raised there.

Perhaps that is the most important lesson from the story of this young Bonairean woman. Authenticity does not disappear overnight. It fades away little by little, until one day people realize that they no longer feel at home in the place that has always been their home.

While we enjoy the World Cup and take pride in the Blue Wave, this may also be a good moment to ask ourselves what exactly we want to preserve about Curaçao. A country can gain many things, but losing itself is ultimately a price that is too high to pay.

Miguel Goede