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Curaçao was first encountered by Europeans in 1499, when Alonso de Ojeda – one of Columbus’ lieutenants – reached the island. It was settled by the Spanish, in the early 1500s, who retained possession until the Dutch East India Company seized it in 1634. Thousands of slaves were then imported to provide labor for the island group’s plantation agricultural schemes. In the early 19th century, persistent attacks by the British and French destabilized the island for a while; at one point it was even leased to a New York merchant. By 1816, the Dutch had reasserted control and introduced further plantations. The abolition of slavery in 1863 set off a long period of economic decline, relieved in 1916, by the opening of an oil refinery. This and other oil-related industries became the mainstay of a booming economy until the 1980s.
(Source: www.iexplore.com)Curaçao's 130,000 people spell the island Korsou, a Papiamentu word, indicating a strong cultural sensibility. While Curaçao is still a member of the Netherlands Antilles, and is tied to Holland through governmental functions, the island is more African and cosmopolitan, more Caribbean, in its culture than many. The society has strong ties to its African memories through language, music, and dance.Languages: People from Curaçao are, by nature and necessity, masters of language. Most native speakers will use Dutch, English, and Papiamentu with equal aplomb. Dutch is the official language, while Papiamentu is the most common. Spanish is also spoken by most Curaçaons, and English is widely used.Papiamentu, a multifaceted Creole language, is based on Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and several African dialects. It's spoken most often in the ABC Islands, and has been in use for 300 years. It is, in a way, the original language of Curaçao, and was meant to be a spoken communication, not a written one. For that reason, yoU'll often see different spellings for the same words, not just among the ABCs, but on each island. For instance, Curaçao spells the language's name Papiamento, while Curaçao renders it Papiamentu.Music & Dance: One of Curaçao's strongest manifestations of its African past is "tambu", an ancient form of music and dance. Slaves carried the traditional, rhythmic structure of the form from Africa and passed it along, by ear, from generation to generation. Drumming is the foundation of tambu, and the first instruments used by slaves in Curaçao were farm implements. Later they converted small, hollow cargo containers covered with dried goatslun into drums. Along with African-based dances, Curaçaons have adapted the European music and dances of the colonials and made them their own.(Source: www.curaçao-travelguide.com)
