The Illusion of Rebranding: Tumba Festival and the Hollowing of Culture
February 9, 2025
First and foremost, I want to congratulate the Reina di Tumba 2025! She earned her victory, and I celebrate her success. However, my critique is not about the winner but about the festival itself.
For some time now, and increasingly so, I hear younger people talk about branding and rebranding. But what exactly is branding? It is the packaging or presentation of a product or service—a part of marketing aimed at positioning and selling something. It is market-driven thinking. Branding is also tied to experience, rooted in the experience economy, where consumers no longer want just a product or service but an entire experience.
On Friday, February 7, 2025, I watched the finals of the Tumba Festival. The younger generation shaping the event seemed obsessed with rebranding. Veteran figures like Armando Huerta were sidelined while discussions revolved around branding and branding partnerships. But rebranding isn’t something you talk about—it’s something you do. The market should feel the change, not just hear about it.
Meanwhile, it is striking how Carnival has long ceased to be a people’s festival and has instead become a product. Yet, no one talks about the product itself. Branding without a solid product is nothing more than empty packaging—pure air.
Many people on social media say something felt off about this year’s festival but struggle to pinpoint what. To me, it’s the superficiality—the lack of depth and meaning. In the past, compositions reflected social realities or national pride, like E Baranka Aki Ban Defende (defend our rock), or they captured the essence of Carnival, as Boy Dap, the emperor of Tumba, did when he won the festival ten times. Today, this depth is missing, best summed up by the title of this year’s winning composition: Nos Bida Ta Un Fiesta (Our Life is a Party).
Curaçao seems increasingly obsessed with just the party. Local and global issues are ignored. Today, we celebrate—tomorrow? Who knows if we’ll still be here?
This same emptiness echoes in the election campaign for the upcoming March 21, 2025, elections. Of the eight parties, only two have published their programs. The rest? In no hurry. But there is no shortage of festivals, events, and ticket giveaways. Wasn’t it Boeli van Leeuwen who wrote Feestend ten onder (Perishing While Partying)? Others call it bread and circuses.
Undoubtedly, this is the result of a failing education system, as confirmed in yet another recent report. But branding alone won’t save us. When the smoke clears, all that remains is hot air.
Miguel Goede
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