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. First, there was enforced migration from the enslaved peoples from Africa. When the refinery came in the 20th century, work migrants from the English-speaking islands moved to the island. And in 21st century there has been a new inflow of black Spanish-speaking labor migrants.[7]
Africans were brought to Aruba by Dutch settlers during the colonial era,[8][9][10] although not in as large numbers as in nearby Curaçao and Bonaire.
Many immigrants from the British West-Indies (namely from Trinidad and Grenada) settled in San Nicolaas in the early 20th century, namely to work in the Aruban oil industry. Many brought their local English Creoles and dialects to the town,[11] later developing into what is today known as San Nicolaas English (known locally as Bush English).
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.
- ^ https://caribbeannetwork.ntr.nl/2023/08/03/african-influence-clearly-visible-on-aruba/
- ^ "Millefiori di Aruba". 1965.
- ^ "Home". 9 March 2023.
- ^ "History of slavery on Aruba and St. Eustasius online". 29 June 2023.
- ^ Devonish, Hubert; Richardson, Gregory. "The English Creole of Aruba: A Community-Based Description of the San Nicolas Variety".
| Geography |
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| Secondary Afro-American diaspora |
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