By Roy Lie Atjam
Amsterdam, 29 June 2023, H.E. Mr Giorgio Novello, Ambassador of Italy in the Netherlands together with H.E. Mr Juan (Ady) Thijsen, Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba, organized a cordial event at the Italian Cultural Institute in Amsterdam which is part of the Italian Diplomatic Mission in the Netherlands.
The Italian Cultural Institute in Amsterdam served as a backdrop for the special Aruba – Italy evening. This evening we are going to explore the connections and relations between Italy and one of the four countries which constitute the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Aruba.
Ambassador Giorgio Novello who is at the heart of this initiative will be our first speaker. Ambassador Giorgio Novello touched on many aspects of the event. He addressed the audience in Papiamentu, Dutch and English. In part, this is what he said in Papiamentu:
Kara amigonan, bon biní na Instituto Cultural Italiano na Amsterdam caminda awe anochi tin un evento sumamente special pa nos. Mi ta hopi agradecido na Ministro Plenipotenciario Juan Thijsen, kende ta un bon amigo di mi, cu kende mi deseo ta pa cuminsa awe anochi un colaboracion cu lo dura durante lunanan y añanan cu ta bin.
The public roared! A prolonged applause followed. The text was composed by the Ambassador just hours before the presentation.
The speech in Dutch, “sinds twee jaar ben ik Ambassadeur van Italië in Nederland. Ik heb veel belangrijke dagen meegemaakt, maar vandaag is een speciale dag.”
Ambassador Giorgio Novello went on to state.
“Since my arrival here, I have harbored a strong desire to collaborate with Aruba. I am well aware that the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprises four equal nations. During my time in the Caribbean, I had the opportunity to work with the French and even visited Saint Martin, crossing the land border between France and the Netherlands on a motorcycle.
While studying law at university, I closely followed the developments surrounding the separate statute with great interest. Consequently, I have always deemed it crucial to strive for the position of Italian Ambassador in Aruba as well.
In due course, I had the pleasure of meeting the remarkable Minister of Aruba, Mr. Thijsen. Together, we formed a trio, uniting Thijsen’s office, the Italian Embassy, and the Italian Cultural Institute. I would like to express my gratitude to the exceptional director, Ms. Paola Cordone, for hosting us tonight at the institute.
My passion lies in exploring the parallels, similarities, and exchange of experiences between Italy and the Netherlands. There is always room for mutual learning, and this extends to the relationship between Italy and Aruba.
Undoubtedly, Italy and Aruba are two distinct countries with their own unique characteristics. However, there is a strong sense of affinity between us, as we share many common traits. In fact, I consider myself a genuine friend of Thijsen, not only due to the respect I hold for his esteemed position but also because of the deep connection we have established.
Moreover, I have come to recognize numerous other similarities that exist between our nations. Although I will mention ten of these parallels, I will refrain from listing them in a specific order, as they pertain to various aspects of our shared interests.
Tourism – For both countries, tourism is essential for the economy. The number of tourists in Italy in 2022 was 252 million. About 10,000 Italians go to Aruba every year.
Green Economy – In recent years, both countries have been experiencing a moment of transition to a greener and more sustainable economy. An excellence in our case is waste recycling, in fact, we are the country with the highest recycling % in Europe. But Aruba is no different, here you can see the transition of an old refinery into a new generation hydrogen factory
Multilingualism – According to a Unesco survey, 31 languages are currently spoken in Italy, including Italian and various dialects. The most spoken and remembered Italian dialects are: Veneto, Neapolitan, Friulian, Piedmontese, Sardinian, Lombard, Emilian and Romagna, Sicilian and Ligurian.
One of the great things about Aruba is multilingualism. In Italy it can be seen as vertical, meaning that there are many language groups that coexist. In Aruba, on the other side, it is horizontal because the same people speak all languages such as Papiamento, Spanish, English and Dutch.
International Organisations – Italy is a member of all the most important international organizations in the world. G20, G7, Council of Europe, NATO, OECD, OPCW (we have the vice presidency), ICC and many others. Only 2 are missing: the security council (in which we were included in the league of nations) and the organization of Caribbean states of which our fantastic Aruba is a part.
Being an Island- Italy is a peninsula because we are surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea but taking into account the presence of the Alps in the north, we can consider ourselves almost an island; Sicily, Sardinia and Elba are the 3 largest and most important islands in Italy; Venice is an island city; Aruba, from above looks very similar to Venice.
Navigation – Evento Margottini nel porto di rotterdam di due settimane fa. Italy ranks first in the world in terms of trade balance in the shipbuilding sector; first in the sector of pleasure or sports yachts and vessels. For the superyacht category, the volume of orders amounted to 49.3% of the total number in the world (December 2022.) According to the latest data (March 2022), the Italian Navy fleet consists of 53 armed units. 2,550 boats fly the Italian flag, for a total amount of 15.252.137 GT.
Geopolitical Dimension – Italy is a European country with the north belonging to Central Europe while the southernmost part (such as Lampedusa) belongs to the African continental shelf. While Arubans are Caribbean, Europeans and Americans at the same time.
Cultural Heritage – Italy is very proud of its cultural heritage, a history spanning 3,000 years and the first country in the world for assets on the UNESCO heritage list. As far as Aruba is concerned, I will leave the word to the minister who surely knows more than I do, but this photo of Oranjestad speaks for itself.
Music & Cuisine – Finally, the last 2 parallels are Music and Cuisine. For these last 2 topics I have no slides because you will be able to see and try them tonight for real.”
Mr Juan (Ady) Thijsen, Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba made the following statement.
H.E. Mr Giorgio Novello, Ambassador of Italy in The Hague, Mrs. Paola Cardone director of Instituto Italiano di Cultura in Amsterdam. Ladies and gentlemen. Good evening, Buona Sera, Bon Nochi.
First of all I would like to thank Ambassador Giorgio Novello and director of the Instituto Italiano di Cultura Mrs. Paola Cardone for this beautiful event “Aruba and Italy meet” Aruba, va a ruba – Aruba y Italia ta topa. Thank you for giving Aruba the opportunity to profile our beautiful island.
“Aruba is a Dutch island, located in the Southern Caribbean Sea at 18 miles of the coast of Venezuela and has a population of approximately 110 thousand inhabitants. Aruba is a constitutional state within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. After a long struggle, Aruba obtained its autonomous status in 1986. Aruba has its own national anthem and flag of which we are very proud. Together with our Kingdom partners we have the obligation to guarantee good governance, legal certainty and protection of the human rights.
I have the privilege and honor to serve my country for 18 years now. From 2005 till 2021 in the parliament of Aruba, of which the last four years as president of the parliament of Aruba. In 2022 I became the Representative for Aruba at the European Union in Brussel and the Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba in the Hague. The Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba plays a very important role in the development of the island. Together with the staff and personnel we have established our vision and policy for the years to come. Aruba has to be visible and Aruba has to strengthen its relationships within the Kingdom and outside the Kingdom.
As regards the European Union, Aruba is a member of the Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA), which gives us good opportunities in terms of obtaining support for important projects. Aruba is also an observer in CARICOM. The Caribbean Community promotes and supports a unified Caribbean Community that is inclusive, resilient, competitive; sharing in economic, social and cultural prosperity. We are evaluating the possibility of becoming an associate member.
Aruba has an advantage. Most Arubans speak four languages: our own language Papiamento, Spanish, English and Dutch. Our language Papiamento emerged from the Spanish and Portuguese creole languages that developed in the West Africa coast. It has many similarities with Cape Verdean creole and Guinea-Bissau creole. Besides in Aruba, the Papiamento language is also spoken in Curaçao and Bonaire, yet there is a slight difference in the way it is written and spoken. Whereas Papiamento in Aruba has a more etymological based spelling, Curaçao and Bonaire have a phonological based spelling.
Next to our beautiful language Papiamento, we have our cultural values in music, dance and art. We celebrate San Juan/Dera Gai Festival in June and the Dande Festival in December. And our famous Carnaval celebration in February/March. Tonight we will give you a little taste of our carnival music of calypso and also little carnival show with beautiful costumes. We proudly present one of our famous artists Lord Cachete and the dancers of the carnival group Kingdom under the Sun of well-known Rossini van Wijk.
Before I finish my speech I have to mention that we are very proud of our Aruban soccer player Denzel Dumfries who plays for Inter in Italy. Siamo molto fieri di lui!! Finally I will close my speech with two quotes. I am a person who believes in connection, working together and make your dreams become reality. To realize that, you always have to act. So the first quote is from Dante Alighieri “Il segreto per fare le cose é agire” – the secrets of getting things done is to act. The second quote is a famous quote in Italy. “Chi trova un amico, trova un Tesoro” He who finds a friend, finds a treasure.
We consider excellency ambassador Giorgio Novello and the Italian people our friends. Since I met the ambassador I am convinced that we will have a very strong and beautiful relationship between our two countries.
We believe in the potential of Italy. We believe in the potential of Aruba. This can already be proven by the cooperation in the touristic industry between both countries, where recently, Aruba branded trams are making their rounds in Rome and Milan. I’m sure that much more cooperation can be established between both countries. We both know that we can climb mountains, but we also know that together we can climb higher mountains.
With its world famous pristine white sand beaches, year round warm sunny weather and its friendly people, Aruba is best known as “Aruba, one happy island”…. Aruba, l’ isola felice! So, we invite you to plan a visit to our island as we guarantee it will be un unforgettable experience.
Ancora una volta, grazie mille, soprattuto a coloro che hanno reso possibile questo evento. Godetevi la serata!
Grazie mille; Hopi danki
Many blessings, hopi bendicion, tante bendizioni! “
The program featured a genuine Arubian Carnivalesque ambience with dancers and a vibrant show by the renowned s Lord Cachete. To complete it all, finger food from the beautiful island of Sicily, but with a zest of the Caribbean to surprise you.
The “Aruba and Italy meet”, Aruba, va a ruba – Aruba y Italia ta topa, evening was a tremendous success !
Ambassador Giorgio Novello envisages co-organizing similar evenings with other partners of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
