Dutch Caribbean Research Articles

The implementation and evaluation of a program for Dutch language proficiency for teacher education in Curaçao

This contribution deals with the implementation and evaluation of a program for Dutch language proficiency that was developed in a long-term educational design study in Teacher Education at the University of Curaçao. It first gives an overview of the study and describes the multilingual context of the Dutch Caribbean in which it was conducted. It then briefly goes into the large study dropout rates and low Dutch language proficiency of student teachers that led to developing design principles and a new language proficiency program. The program’s implementation was investigated in a mixed methods case study with classroom observations, interviews, and language tests, to describe and evaluate its use and effect. The case study included a formative part, investigating how the program and its implementation were perceived and evaluated by the teacher educators and student teachers and a summative part, investigating the effects of the program for the student teachers’ Dutch language proficiency and study success. The results of the case study showed that the program and its underlying design principles were positively evaluated by the student teachers and teacher educators and that it contributed to higher Dutch language proficiency scores and lower dropout rates in teacher education.

CACTUS – Vegetation database of the Dutch Caribbean Islands

The vegetation database CACTUS (registered in GIVD under SA-00-004) aims to bring together all plot-based relevés from the Dutch Caribbean Islands that are available from literature, unpublished resources, and recent field surveys. The database currently contains 2,701 vegetation descriptions. The database is used for vegetation classification, to investigate vegetation change over time, to assist in the planning of vegetation surveys, as a source for plant species distribution maps, and to inform nature conservation and policy. Taxonomic references: Van Proosdij (2012) for the Leeward Islands, Axelrod (2017, 2021) for the Windward Islands, except for St. Martin (Howard 1974-1989).

Thirsty Islands and Water Inequality: The Impact of Colonial Practices on Freshwater Challenges in the Dutch Caribbean

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Territories in the Dutch Caribbean face unique water challenges related to climate change. With fragile ecosystems and surrounded by rising sea levels and limited natural resources, island communities are increasingly faced with the reality of life withextreme drought and floods. While Caribbean SIDS in general have limited freshwater resources and limited water-retaining capacity due to natural characteristics, it is undeniable that unsustainable actions, practices and attitudes under colonial rule, such as deforestation and “property-thinking,” have contributed to present-day environmental degradation, freshwater resource management problems and water inequality. In the Netherlands, there are ongoing discussions about reparative justice compensation for the impact of Dutch colonial imperialism. In this light, it is worth considering whether reparative justice for the former colonial territories could take the form of eco- and heritage- system reparations and substantial investments in nature- and heritage-based solutions.

Helicopter-Based Search and Rescue Operations in the Dutch Caribbean: A Retrospective Analysis.

Search and rescue (SAR) operations in the Dutch Caribbean offer basic and advanced prehospital care and transport for definitive care. Helicopter-based SAR in this geographic area has not been previously studied. Data from the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard were analyzed with the aim of describing the current operational setting and optimizing SAR operations in the future. Data were collected retrospectively from March 2018 through April 2021. Epidemiologic data, patient demographics, details of flight operations, medical interventions, and outcomes were collected and analyzed for this period. A total of 91 individuals were assisted through SAR, of whom 40 (44%) had a medical emergency. Most incidents occurred during high-tourism seasons. A yearly increase in helicopter tasking was observed. Boating was the most common activity (25%) requiring SAR. Injuries to the extremities were the most common injury (27%). The median time to reach the scene of SAR was 46 (interquartile range [IQR], 33-66) min. The most frequent reason for delay was the unavailability of a winch operator (15%). Of 16 fatalities, most (63%) were attributed to drowning. A total of 18 persons were transported to a hospital, with a median travel time of 63 (IQR, 47-79) min. The number of SAR missions in the Dutch Caribbean is increasing. The response times might be reduced by the inclusion of an on-call winch operator. A hospital helipad would likely decrease the time to definitive care. Stand-by physicians might improve the quality of medical care. Collection of data should be optimized in the future.

Other Radicals

This essay is an introduction to a special section that focuses on the life and work of Anton de Kom, and especially on his seminal 1934 Wij slaven van Suriname. It forms part of a larger project that explores how a Caribbean intellectual tradition can be thought differently if greater attention is paid to the Dutch Caribbean. The essays included in the section demonstrate the shifting role that De Kom and his book have played—from the 1930s and the anxieties they created for the colonial state; to their international impact on other revolutionary movements, such as in Cuba; to their current mobilization by numerous young people of Surinamese descent in the Netherlands as part of an antiracist activism and politics of belonging. Almost ninety years after Wij slaven was first published, it has become a bestseller and De Kom has been named to the Dutch national historical canon. As more than political activism, the guest editors examine Anton de Kom in this Small Axe platform for Caribbean thought with the hope that these essays will stimulate even more scholarship on De Kom’s life and work and on the Dutch Caribbean more broadly, beyond the borders of the Dutch-speaking context.

Prevalence of congenital anomalies in the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.

Congenital anomalies represent an important global health issue. Data on the prevalence and pattern of congenital anomalies in the Caribbean region are scarce and lacking altogether in Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao (ABC islands). We performed a population-based surveillance study to determine the prevalence of structural congenital anomalies in the ABC islands, including all live births and stillbirths between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2017 with major congenital anomalies according to EUROCAT guide 1.5. Terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly were included as well. Cases were identified by active case ascertainment, using multiple sources including pediatric patient files and discharge letters, delivery records, and clinical genetic patient files. Total and subgroup prevalence rates were compared between the three islands and to the French West Indies and Northern Netherlands. Total prevalence of congenital anomalies on the ABC islands was 242.97 per 10,000 births. Total prevalence of congenital anomalies in Bonaire (325.15 per 10,000 births) was higher compared to Aruba (233.29 per 10,000 births) and Curaçao (238.58 per 10,000 births), which was mainly attributable to a higher prevalence of limb anomalies, in particular polydactyly, in Bonaire. Total prevalence of congenital anomalies on the ABC islands was comparable to the French West Indies (248.69 per 10,000 births) but significantly lower compared to the Northern Netherlands (298.98 per 10,000 births). In the subgroup prevalence analysis, the prevalence of polydactyly and atrial septal defect on the ABC islands was significantly higher compared with the French West Indies and the Northern Netherlands, while the prevalence of congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract and genetic disorders was significantly lower. This is the first study to establish the prevalence and pattern of congenital anomalies on the ABC islands, which is important to inform healthcare managers and policymakers and to provide a basis for continuous surveillance of congenital anomalies.

Variation in early decoding development in a post-colonial Caribbean context

Given the gap in knowledge on decoding development in post-colonial contexts, this longitudinal study examined Papiamento (Creole L1) and Dutch (postcolonial L2) decoding development from kindergarten to second grade of children in the Dutch Caribbean while considering order of initial decoding instruction (L1 or L2), kindergarten precursors (speech decoding, vocabulary, rapid naming, short-term memory, phonological awareness), and transfer effects. Results revealed that incase of L1 decoding instruction, the development of letter knowledge and decoding was higher in Papiamento and incase of L2 decoding instruction it was higher in Dutch. When instruction started in L1, Papiamento decoding development was statistically significantly predicted by phonological awareness and letter knowledge, and Dutch decoding development by letter knowledge only. When instruction started in L2, Dutch decoding development was statistically significantly predicted by phonological awareness, letter knowledge, short-term memory, and speech decoding, and Papiamento decoding development by letter knowledge and vocabulary. Transfer effects were found from the language of decoding instruction to the other language with L1 precursors significantly predicting L2, but not the other way around. To conclude, the results reveal the pivotal role and benefit of including the L1 in early bilingual decoding development in a postcolonial context.

Separate but equal in the protection against climate change? The legal framework of climate justice for the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of The Netherlands

AbstractThe experiences of overseas territories and how their varying degrees of self‐governance influence climate (in)action are overlooked topics, even though these places are often highly impacted by climate change. Analysing the situation of the Dutch Kingdom demonstrates some of these challenges. The Kingdom consists of the European Netherlands and the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curacao, St Maarten, Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba. Out of these, the Caribbean islands are the most vulnerable to climate change, while the European Netherlands has contributed the most to it. This can be seen as climate injustice. Access to mitigation and adaptation mechanisms mentioned in international agreements could be beneficial to these Caribbean islands. However, the international climate change agreements have only entered into force for the European part of the Kingdom and not the Caribbean part due to a territorial limitation. This has several consequences, and this paper highlights two. First, the requirement that greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced does not apply to the islands, which leaves room for unsustainable activities but also overlooks their need for adaptation and compensation for loss and damage. Second, access to climate finance instruments is limited as the Dutch Caribbean islands are seen as part of the Kingdom and therefore do not qualify for international assistance. Within the European Union, funds are available but access to these is not guaranteed, as the experience with recovery after Hurricane Irma demonstrates. These examples show that the issues around climate justice have been insufficiently resolved. There is a need for a long‐term climate strategy within the Kingdom along with complementary funding. Until then, climate litigation could assist in enforcing a duty of care by local governments and the Kingdom to protect inhabitants by using the human rights framework. This would also create a roadmap for other territories in similar circumstances.

The 2022 Diadema antillarum die-off event: Comparisons with the 1983-1984 mass mortality

The 1983-1984 die-off of the long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum stands out as a catastrophic marine event because of its detrimental effects on Caribbean coral reefs. Without the grazing activities of this key herbivore, turf and macroalgae became the dominant benthic group, inhibiting coral recruitment and compromising coral reef recovery from other disturbances. In the decades that followed, recovery of D. antillarum populations was slow to non-existent. In late January 2022, a new mass mortality of D. antillarum was first observed in the U.S. Virgin Islands. We documented the spread and extent of this new die-off using an online survey. Infected individuals were closely monitored in the lab to record signs of illness, while a large population on Saba, Dutch Caribbean, was surveyed weekly before and during mortality to determine the lethality of this event. Within four months the die-off was distributed over 1,300 km from north to south and 2,500 km east to west. Whereas the 1983-1984 die-off advanced mostly with the currents, the 2022 event has appeared far more quickly in geographically distant areas. First die-off observations in each jurisdiction were often close to harbor areas, which, together with their rapid appearance, suggests that anthropogenic factors may have contributed to the spread of the causative agent. The signs of illness in sick D. antillarum were very similar to those recorded during the 1983-1984 die-off: lack of tube feet control, slow spine reaction followed by their loss, and necrosis of the epidermis were observed in both lab and wild urchins. Affected populations succumbed fast; within a month of the first signs of illness, a closely monitored population at Saba, Dutch Caribbean, had decreased from 4.05 individuals per m2 to 0.05 individuals per m2. Lethality can therefore be as high as 99%. The full extent of the 2022 D. antillarum die-off event is not currently known. The slower spread in the summer of 2022 might indicate that the die-off is coming to a (temporary) standstill. If this is the case, some populations will remain unaffected and potentially supply larvae to downstream areas and augment natural recovery processes. In addition, several D. antillarum rehabilitation approaches have been developed in the past decade and some are ready for large scale implementation. However, active conservation and restoration should not distract from the primary goal of identifying a cause and, if possible, implementing actions to decrease the likelihood of future D. antillarum die-off events.

What Is Behind The Stunning Economic Success Of The Netherlands? The Dutch Economic Miracle: A Strategic Perspective

Purpose of the study: This paper examines the main factors and prerequisites for the intensive economic development of the Netherlands by taking into account the contribution of tourism, logistics, industry, and agriculture to the economic miracle. Methodology: In this work, the historical methods, as well as the theory of relative advantages and the general methods of scientific research, were used. Main findings: The preconditions for the rapid growth of the Dutch economy include successful domestic reforms carried out by the Government at the end of the 1990-is; a favorable trade regime focused on the freedom to exercise an economic or commercial activity; as well as deep integration of the country with the European Union that allows it to take full advantage of the European single market and remain one of the economic leaders within this Community. Research limitations/implications: In this study, authors propose a roadmap for those countries that are struggling because of the lack of well-thought national planning policy. They also hope that their information may be useful for Ukraine in the process of post-war reconstruction in the future. Novelty/Originality of this study: This article represents an attempt to create a comprehensive picture of the Dutch economic miracle that includes export performance, logistical activities of Rotterdam Port, Schiphol, and Eindhoven International Airports, and the functioning of the highly efficient tourism industry that encompasses the Netherlands and the region of the Dutch Caribbean. In the article, both authors combine historical knowledge

Of Backyards and Hinterlands: ‘Cairojan’ and Dutch Caribbean Literature

ABSTRACT This article will compare two works by two Black Surinamese authors from the last century: Anton de Kom (1898–1945) and Edgar Cairo (1948–2000). While keenly aware that the Netherlands/the Dutch Empire has shaped their world by forceful and violent means, in their writing both Cairo and de Kom effectively push the Netherlands to the margins. In these texts it is present as the evil force to be fought, or as the invisible past evils that have created the present, but these stories are not about the Dutch or The Netherlands. De Kom counters the Dutch narratives and heroes with those of the enslaved people who escape to the hinterlands (het binnenland), while Cairo flaunts white colonial norms with his story of what he calls ‘the backyard’ (het erf). De Kom’s hinterland and Cairo’s backyard echo chronotopes such as Paul Gilroy’s slave ship and Édouard Glissant’s metaphors of the plantation, the hinterland and the creole language. These are conceptions of the Caribbean and Black diasporic history, voicing some of the ways in which ‘culture happened’ in spite of the efforts of colonization and the plantation system, offering an alternative that is native to a transplanted people/diasporic people.

Queer sovereignties: Cultural practices of sexual citizenship in the Dutch Caribbean

Amsterdam University Press is a leading publisher of academic books, journals and textbooks in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Our aim is to make current research available to scholars, students, innovators, and the general public. AUP stands for scholarly excellence, global presence, and engagement with the international academic community.

David Williams: finding solutions for racial inequities in health

David Williams was born “in the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba”, and “raised in, at the time, the British colony of St Lucia”. His parents had not attended high school but they were, he recalls, “avid readers who had a lot of books at home” and his mother, who became a nurse aged 62 years, was a powerful source of inspiration for him. Over his influential career, Williams, who is the Norman Professor of Public Health and Chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health and Professor of African and African American Studies and of Sociology at Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA, has elucidated the ways in which racism, socioeconomic status, stress, and health behaviours impact physical and mental health.

Inclusiveness in the Caribbean-Locals’ Perceptions about Nature, Tourism and Recreation in Bonaire

The economies of small tropical islands often benefit from large-scale tourism, attracted by the guarantee of beach facilities, sun and warmth, landscape beauty, and cultural and underwater life. While these are highly valued assets, it is unclear how local communities benefit from tourism, or how they perceive their natural environment, which has been the basis for their rich cultural history. Against this background, the main aim of this article is to investigate inhabitants’ perceptions about locals’ inclusiveness in tourism and recreation on a small island called Bonaire. A total of 400 households were interviewed during the period November 2021–February 2022. Inclusiveness in tourism and the welfare it brings are judged as low, based on the findings in this study. With a share of around 40% of the population of Dutch Caribbean islanders living in poverty, the challenge of inequality is urgent. While environmental degradation contributes to inequality, inequality can also contribute to environmental degradation. To reduce inequalities, while ensuring life below water and life on land, the handling of poverty is one of the most critical bottlenecks in this society.

Occurrence of Vibrio Species in Marine Sources Surroundings Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean

There is a lack of information on the presence of vibrios in the marine environment in the Caribbean. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of Vibrios in the coastal waters of Bonaire. Fifty samples of marine water collected at different depths from various sources around Bonaire were examined for the presence of vibrios. Species identification was confirmed by KB007 HiVibrioTM, Identification Kit, and TOFEL-MALDI. Forty of the samples contained Vibrio alginolyticus, 33 yielded V. parahaemolyticus and 29 showed the presence of V. vulnificus / V. cholerae. Regarding total colony counts in the sample, 47.4% of the colonies were V. alginolyticus, 35.2% were V. parahaemolyticus, and 17.4% represented V. vulnificus / V. cholerae. Further, of the 25 surface samples from various sites, 14 had a colony count percentage of 50% or greater number of V. alginolyticus. Another 10 sites had a colony count percentage of 50% or greater for V. parahaemolyticus; three of them had a colony count percentage of 50% or greater for V. vulnificus / V. cholerae. The present study constitutes the first study of its kind providing evidence of the prevalence of pathogenic Vibrio species, viz. V. alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. vulnificus / V. cholerae in marine water from the Dutch Caribbean.

A Commentary on the Inclusion of the Dutch Caribbean within Caribbean Anthropological Studies

A Commentary on the Inclusion of the Dutch Caribbean within Caribbean Anthropological Studies

The Caribbean War Front in World War II: The Untold Story of U-boats, Spies, and Economic Warfare

The Caribbean War Front in World War II: The Untold Story of U-boats, Spies, and Economic Warfare

Spatial Ecology of the Association between Demosponges and Nemalecium lighti at Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean

Coral reefs are known to be among the most biodiverse marine ecosystems and one of the richest in terms of associations and species interactions, especially those involving invertebrates such as corals and sponges. Despite that, our knowledge about cryptic fauna and their ecological role remains remarkably scarce. This study aimed to address this gap by defining for the first time the spatial ecology of the association between the epibiont hydrozoan Nemalecium lighti and the Porifera community of shallow coral reef systems at Bonaire. In particular, the host range, prevalence, and distribution of the association were examined in relation to different sites, depths, and dimensions of the sponge hosts. We report Nemalecium lighti to be in association with 9 out of 16 genera of sponges encountered and 15 out of 16 of the dive sites examined. The prevalence of the hydroid–sponge association in Bonaire reef was 6.55%, with a maximum value of over 30%. This hydrozoan has been found to be a generalist symbiont, displaying a strong preference for sponges of the genus Aplysina, with no significant preference in relation to depth. On the contrary, the size of the host appeared to influence the prevalence of association, with large tubular sponges found to be the preferred host. Although further studies are needed to better understand the biological and ecological reason for these results, this study improved our knowledge of Bonaire’s coral reef cryptofauna diversity and its interspecific associations.

Assisted Natural Recovery: A Novel Approach to Enhance Diadema antillarum Recruitment

The massive die-off of the sea urchin Diadema antillarum in 1983–1984 is one the main reasons for low coral recruitment and little coral recovery in the Caribbean. As the natural recovery of D. antillarum is slow to non-existent, multiple restoration studies have been attempted. There are currently three different approaches to obtain individuals for restocking: the translocation of wild-collected juveniles or adults, lab-reared juveniles cultured from wild-collected settlers, or lab-reared juveniles cultured from gametes. All three methods are costly and can only be applied on a relatively small scale. We here propose a fourth, new, approach, which we term assisted natural recovery (ANR) of D. antillarum populations. ANR, a concept already applied in terrestrial restoration to restore forests and grasslands, can accelerate succession by removing barriers to natural recovery. In this study, performed on the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba, suitable settlement substrate was provided in the form of bio ball streamers that were attached to the reef shortly before the settlement season. At the end of the experiment, reefs with streamers had significantly higher D. antillarum recruit densities than control reefs without additional settlement substrate, indicating that the lack of settlement substrate is an important factor constraining natural recovery. However, D. antillarum recruit abundance was low compared to the measured settlement rates, possibly due to low post-settlement survival. The size distribution of recruits showed that recruits almost never became larger than 20 mm, which is likely due to predation. We conclude that, next to low settlement availability, low post-settlement survival and high predation on recruits also constrain the natural recovery of D. antillarum populations on Saba. To improve the survival of settlers till adults, we propose to 1) reduce predation on settlers by using bio balls or other substrates that can provide shelter to larger individuals and 2) optimize the reef habitat by removing macroalgae, either manually or by facilitating other herbivores. To improve the survival of recruits, we suggest to 1) choose sites with a known lower predation density or 2) protect recruits with a corral around the reef underneath the streamers. The combination of these measures could improve prospects for ANR, and we expect this new approach can contribute to the recovery of D. antillarum populations in the future.

Frequency of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Patients with Imminent Preterm Delivery on the Island of Curaçao.

Sexually transmitted infections are one of the important risk factors for preterm delivery, which is among the important contributors to perinatal morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections in women with imminent preterm delivery in Curaçao, an island of the Dutch Caribbean. All women from Curaçao with either preterm premature rupture of the membranes or preterm labor, common indications of imminent preterm delivery, and presenting at the Curaçao Medical Center between 15 November 2019 and 31 December 2020, were included in this single cohort study. Data were retrospectively collected from medical records. The presence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae was assessed by Cepheid GeneXpert ® (Xpert) CT/NG assay (Sunnyvale, CA, USA). In the included cohort, the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection was 15.5% and of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection was 2.1%. All patients infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae were co-infected with Chlamydia trachomatis. The prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections in patients with imminent preterm delivery in Curaçao is high. It is recommended to test all patients with imminent preterm delivery for these sexually transmitted infections and possibly consider testing all women in early pregnancy on the island.