Afro-Arubans
| Languages | |
|---|---|
| Papiamento, Dutch, Spanish, English | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Afro-Caribbeans, Afro-Curaçaoan, African people, Afro-Venezuelans |
Afro-Arubans are Arubans who have predominantly African ancestry. Afro-Arubans are a minority ethnic group in Aruba, representing 15% of Aruba's population.[1] Like other Arubans, Afro-Arubans speak Papiamento, a Portuguese-based creole language commonly spoken on the ABC islands,[2] as well as Dutch, Spanish, English and other languages. Papiamento dates back at least 300 years and is pre-dominantly based on Afro-Portuguese linguistic structures combined with vocabulary and influences from Spanish, West African languages, Dutch and Amerindian languages.[3]
While Aruba had enslaved Africans,[4] most Afro-Arubans today descend from nearby Caribbean islands and nations such as Sint Maarten, Dominican Republic, Suriname, Haiti, Jamaica, Grenada, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, the Lesser Antilles and South America.[5] Many Afro-Arubans live in Aruba's second largest city, San Nicolaas, located on the southern tip of the island.[6]
History
[edit]Afro-Arubans arrived in Aruba in three waves.[7]
During the colonial era, enslaved Africans were transported to Aruba by Dutch settlers,[8] although not in large numbers as the Dutch (and before them, the Spanish) considered Aruba too dry for large-scale plantations.[9]
Throughout the 20th century, many immigrants from the British West-Indies (namely from Trinidad and Grenada) settled in San Nicolaas, namely to work in the Aruban oil industry. Many brought their local English Creoles and dialects to the town,[10] later developing into what is today known as San Nicolaas English (known locally as Bush English).
In the 21st century, most recent African-descended immigrants to Aruba come from a new inflow of Haitian, Surinamese and Dominican labor migrants.[11]
Notable people
[edit]- Eric Abdul
- Xander Bogaerts, baseball player
- Gregor Breinburg
- Niesha Butler
- Virginia Dementricia, rebel slave
- Denzel Dumfries, football player
- Boy Ecury, resistance fighter
- Euson, singer
- Lolita Euson, writer and poet
- Bobby Farrell, dancer and singer
- Ronald Gomez
- Javier Jimenez
- Joshua John, football player
- Jim Jones (rapper)
- Gene Kingsale, baseball player
- Matthew Lentink
- Nickenson Paul
- Jonathan Ruiz
- Jurriën Timber
- Quinten Timber
References and footnotes
[edit]- ^ Nooyen, R. H. (1965). Millefiori di Aruba. [Oranjestad, Aruba] : Publica cu cooperacion di Stichting Aruba Nostra.
- ^ "Language and education on the ABC islands".
- ^ "Aruba - History and Heritage". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
- ^ "Millefiori di Aruba". 1965.
- ^ "The foreign born population of Aruba" (PDF). arubademographics.com. January 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ "Exploring the Mainstreet of San Nicolas". 12 June 2019.
- ^ Redactie (2023-08-03). "'African influence clearly visible on Aruba' | Caribbean Network". caribbeannetwork.ntr.nl. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
- ^ "History of slavery on Aruba and St. Eustasius online". 29 June 2023.
- ^ "Millefiori di Aruba". 1965.
- ^ Devonish, Hubert; Richardson, Gregory. "The English Creole of Aruba: A Community-Based Description of the San Nicolas Variety".
- ^ Redactie (2023-08-03). "'African influence clearly visible on Aruba' | Caribbean Network". caribbeannetwork.ntr.nl. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
| Geography |
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| Secondary Afro-American diaspora |
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