The power of the Pen
16:00-16:30: WWII on the Islands with Daniella Britt
16:30-17:00: Mini Lecture: Heroes of Black resistance Merdado de Marchena by Nychenda Fecunda
17:00- 18:30: Zine Workshop 6 Island Collective
Untold Stories across the Atlantic
19:00- 19:40: WWII on the Islands with Zion Piggott
20:00- 20:45: Mini Lecture: Heroes of Black resistance hero Boy Ecury by Daniella Britt
The power of the Pen
WWII on the Islands with Daniella Britt
From the German torpedo attacks on Aruban and Curacaoan ships, to the internment camps on Bonaire, the ABC SSS islands were very much involved with the second world war. While the islands were not fully occupied during the war, they played an essential role in the war effort, as the allied forces relied heavily on Caribbean resources such as oil. Furthermore, many Caribbean soldiers fought amongst the allied armies.
Daniella Britt is a master student at the University of Amsterdam where she is working on the decolonization of the history of the Dutch empire, among other projects. She will give a short lecture about the historical context of WWII on the ABC SSS islands.
Untold stories across the Atlantic
WWII on the Islands with Zion Piggott
When we discuss the Second World War in the Netherlands, we rarely mention how the colonial territories were involved. The Caribbean oil industry was of enormous importance for Allied warfare. The German shelling of Aruba and Curaçao and submarine attacks on ships around the islands are also amongst the stories that are not often told. The people of these former colonies made significant sacrifices to fight alongside the British, French and American troops, resulting in Antillean war graves all over the world and on all the seas.
Zion Piggott is a historian and founder of Curasolenjo, an initiative to make Caribbean history more accessible. He also works as an archive guide and educator at the Dutch National Archive. He will give a short lecture on the historical context of WWII in the Caribbean.
Mini Lecture: Heroes of Black resistance hero Boy Ecury by Daniella Britt
Boy Ecury was an Aruban student in the Netherlands who became a resistance fighter after the German invasion. Confronted with the violence and brutality of discriminatory practices, Ecury adopted a fierce and provocative attitude towards the occupier. This led to him being active in the resistance right from the start of the war, initially together with his best friend, Luis de Lannoy, a fellow student from Curaçao, later joined by Delfincio Navarro. They communicated in Papiamentu via letters and together they Ecury committed attacks on German trucks loaded with incendiaries, derailed trains, helped people in hiding and allied pilots and carried out various other sabotage actions.
Daniella Britt is a masters student at the UvA where she is working on the decolonization of the history of the Dutch empire, among other projects. She will give a short lecture about her research into Boy Ecury for Archivo Nacional Aruba.
Uitgelichte afbeelding: Een portret van Boy Ecury (bron: Beeldbankwo2)