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local Monday 16 January 2023

Bibi Arends, ex-president of Aruba Tivoli Club

“Hope for an old-style Carnival, full of creativity and culture”

Maximiliano Francisco Ar- San Nicolas, and the Chi-
ends, better known as Bibi nese club which also be-
Arends, was involved in gan participating in carni-
Aruba’s Carnival from a val in San Nicolas.
young age. He was also
the president of Club Tivoli, Because of this, Arends
which was located in Whil- called for all clubs to come
helminastraat during the together and agree to or-
50s and 60s. ganize a general carnival
with the idea of celebrat-
In a special interview with ing carnival in Oranjestad
our reporter, Arends men- and San Nicolas.
tioned that the house in
which he was born was next “Back then carnival was
to the Aruba Tivoli Club, a very different, there was a
club which was established lot more coming together
in 1921 as Aruba Dance of the groups, organizations
Club and later changed its and families that worked
name, got a new building on carnival items like head-
– and years later was dis- pieces, would sew all cos-
mantled. tumes and everything was
almost free because peo-
From a young age, be- ple would come together.
fore the World War II, Ar- It was like a cultural-social
ends would see that there event, where one would
was a lot of activity at the come with a couple of
Aruba Tivoli Club because cases of beer, another with went to 75 florins and end- enjoyed the carnivals of
a lot of the members trav- a cake, and people were ed at 50 florins. The groups yesteryear, up until 2009.
elled to Europe and would happy. This doesn’t exist started getting big with “I am afraid that at some
bring back the Venice-style anymore,” Arends com- people that were not mem- point carnival will collapse
of Carnival, “which is very mented. bers, and this resulted in a and break itself because
luxurious and used a lot massive participation as it you cannot afford it. Situ-
of masks, which was ideal Tivoli started with various is now. And this caused the ation is improving after the
back then because a lot trucks. “This was more like things like Fakkeloptocht closure of Club Tivoli, since pandemic, it’s true, but
of the members belonged a Queen parade in con- and Miss Carnival back they didn’t have funds any- the value of money is de-
to the elite in the commu- vertible cars in 1946, and it then. And in 1980, the or- more, and hotels were of- creasing and you cannot
nity as doctors and lawyers, scaled up with music trucks ganization in charge of the fering other entertainment purchase everything nec-
and by wearing the mask with the old Carnival song general carnival, Central activities. essary nowadays for carni-
they would not be recog- of Calipso, composed by Commission of Carnival of val.”
nized and could just enjoy Rufo Wever and Padu del Aruba (CCCA), which later “At the change of the cen-
with everyone else”, he Caribe – composers of became the Foundation tury a new situation grew The good news that Arends
said. Aruba’s national anthem, of Aruba’s Carnival (SAC), in Aruba and the world has been observing the last
Aruba Dushi Tera – and in- was asked to organize a with scientific progress and few years is that organiza-
With the passing of time, terpreted by Edwin Zichem. carnival at night, “because technology. People’s char- tions, like hotel personnel or
the club became bigger, Back then the song was Tivoli’s people would see acter changed and things private companies, began
but the war paralyzed ev- played by various bands the beautiful carnival lights started becoming more doing carnival the old style.
erything. And when things on the trucks.” at Disney World Orlando commercial, and carnival “They get together after
picked back up, people and wanted to introduce became more about mon- work, they make their car-
went on the streets mainly As more people joined the it in Aruba”, according to ey. Carnival became very nival stuff and have a par-
only with the queens on a parades became bigger. Arends. expensive these years, you ty before the big parade.
convertible. After a while, Around 1954, the president need to pay at least 12,000 Even the neighborhood
more clubs like Caribe of Tivoli realized that there In 1981, Tivoli was to cel- florins for the band alone centers are developing,
Club, Watapana Club and were a lot of carnival cele- ebrate its 60th anniversary, and it’s getting worse. With like the one at Noord that
Club Viceroy joined and brations around Aruba, like and they agreed to orga- all respect to today’s car- has the Sunset Parade with
they began using cars and steelband which began in nize the parade at night, nival, but you go online, a beautiful steelband and
something that back then you find a group, you reg- everything handmade, ex-
was dangerous and not ister on your computer, you pressing Aruba’s culture
allowed by police. But it receive your drinks ticket and tradition.
went through and became and you go dance”, he ex-
such a success that for the plained. He sees this positively. “If
second time, people were those are not paid, we rec-
so happy with Lighting Pa- Since the year 2000, ac- reate and reactivate our
rade that they forced it to cording to Arends, the lux- carnival in the style of the
include steelband, super ury, beauty and greatness old days, which was very
dancers, brass band and of carnival began decreas- creative, very social and
groups from abroad. ing – less luxury, less fantasy very cultural”, he said.
and creativity. It became
Back then, to be part of a more commercial. Images from Facebook
carnival parade one had page: Historia di Aruba
to pay 100 florins, then it He said that he lived and -Toen en NU.q