Page 9 - AHATA

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LOCAL Saturday 23 November 2024
Meet Aruba’s biggest hero

Boy Ecury

(Oranjestad)—This past May broke out.
4th, Aruba as well as The
Netherlands commemorat- During the war, he actively
ed those who sadly perished participated in the rebellion
during the Second World in The Netherlands against
War. As is known around the the Nazi regime, but his re-
globe, this chapter in world bellious streak and constant
history is one of the most drive to fight for justice be-
tragic yet, and many soldiers gan even before the war tract the German soldiers course could not continue away by an acquaintance,
and rebels have died on the broke out. Being a person while others ran into hiding to be active as a rebel. How- he himself never gave away
frontline during this time. of color with a Haitian heri- into alleyways. This he was ever, stubborn and naturally the names of his comrades.
tage living in The Netherlands able to do because of his rebellious as he was, he al- Famously, he told his cell
One of those rebels who made him vulnerable to dis- skin color and confronting ways tried to join in on the mate: “I will die with a smile
have fought against the crimination, and this inspired demeanor. Boy also partici- operations regardless. on my face.”
Nazi regime, was an Aru- him to be an activist, to stand pated in the multiple sabo- On November 6th, 1944,
ban named Segundo Jorge up and fight against discrimi- taging operations against In 1944, after his friend Luis Ecury was executed. He was
Adelberto “Boy” Ecury. Born nation and oppression. the German military oc- de Lannoy, a fellow rebel only 22 years old.
in Aruba on April 23rd, 1922, cupying The Netherlands. from Curacao, was arrested
Boy spent his childhood on After seeing the horrific These included bombings on and executed, he moved Ecury was buried with mili-
the island, before being sent bombings of Rotterdam first- German military trucks and to Delft, where he joined his tary honor. In 1949, the Aru-
to The Netherlands by his fa- hand, he decided to join the trains. The group also helped third and last group in Rot- ban Government erected
ther when he was 15 years resistance. At the same time, people go into hiding, as well terdam. During this time, he a monumental bust of him
old to continue his studies he was still studying and living as opened fire against allies wrote a goodbye letter for in front of what is now the
abroad. This was in 1937, with family in Tilburg. It was of the Nazi regime. In these his family, possibly knowing linear park trail, and in 1984
three years before WWII there where he met people operations, Boy really stood the risks of him being active he received the Resistance
who printed and distributed out for his cold bloodedness. again in the big cities. Memorial Cross postmortem.
the rebellion newspaper. This Eventually, he proved him-
would be the first of three re- In 1943, he received a no- self right. On November 5th, Boy’s life motto was this: “In
bellion group that he would tice to be placed for work in 1944, Boy Ecury was arrested my father’s house, there is
join throughout his 4-year ser- Germany. This he refused, of by German soldiers. He was no place for a traitor.”
vice to the resistance. course, and went into hiding placed in the “Oranjehotel”
using multiple addresses in prison in Scheveningen, The Source: “De Kolibrie op de
Boy’s primary task as mem- multiple cities. Because he Hague, where he was ques- Rots (en meer over the ge-
schiedenis van Aruba)” by
ber of the group was to dis- was a wanted man, he of tioned. Despite being given Evert Bongers.

Aruba’s neighborhoods; the meaning behind their names

Just like any other coun- tion between Van Spengler is the origin that has been name, but the name of the comes from native descent,
try, Aruba has unique and and the natives who were more or less speculated development proyect that during the time in the 19th
beautifully named neigh- living on the island. In the and assumed for the word took place. It is hoped that century where Mestizos still
borhoods that all form a Arawak/Taino language Anabui and it’s meaning. the original and ‘old’ name lived on Aruba. The name
part of its culture and de- one can find the word of Anabui is never lost and can’t really be explain and
velopment. Many of these Anaiboa, which consists of During the second world now it will be remembered according to books on its
names have a historical Ana meaning flower or the war and later, this area was by both locals and tourists. history seems to be more of
background and meaning best and Iboa; the juice of used as a terrain for train- a sign of corruption.
that teaches us about the a cassava, which together ing of shooting by militia Angochi
island and its rich culture would mean “the best juice and latero n Korps Marin- This name can be seen However, it seems to come
every day. of a cassava”. iers (the marines of Aruba). on the Werbata map with from combining A(n), which
By the end of the previous little and cursive letters. It is is a generalizing prefix and
With this series, we want If one assumes that the ac- century a large part of Ana- the unofficial name for the Goeiza, which means ‘the
to take you on a journey tual word heard was Ana- bui was developed to have area given by a tenant to spirit of a living man’. An-
of discovery, where you’ll boio instead, consisting of luxurious villas and a golf the land that was rented to gochi remains more of a
learn not only the beautiful Ana meaning the best and course, which lead to it get- him. guess.
names but the history be- Boio (bohio); house, the it- ting the name Tierra Del Sol,
hind it that gives it life and eration of Anabui would Spanish for Land of the Sun. The biggest probability that This neighborhood’s abbre-
meaning. mean “the best house.” This The name is not an official historians believe is that it viation is; An.

Anabui/Tierra Del Sol
This neighborhood can be
seen on Van Raders map
and Werbata as Anna
Boei. Anna Boei is a name
of which there isn’t much
information about its origin.

The best historians were
able to deduce is that this
name came to be be-
cause of a miscommunica-