Page 17 - AHATA

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local Tuesday 11 November 2025
Meet Aruba’s biggest hero, Boy Ecury

(Oranjestad)—As part of the King- bombings on German military
dom of the Netherlands and due trucks and trains. The group also
to its strategic geolocation, Aruba helped people go into hiding, as
was unexpectedly involved in the well as opened fire against allies
Second World War. As is known of the Nazi regime. In these oper-
around the globe, this chapter ations, Boy really stood out for his
in world history is one of the most cold bloodedness.
tragic yet, and many soldiers and In 1943, he received a notice to be
rebels have died on the front line placed for work in Germany. This
during this time. he refused, of course, and went
into hiding using multiple address-
One of those rebels who have es in multiple cities. Because he
fought against the Nazi regime, was a wanted man, he of course
was an Aruban named Segundo could not continue to be active
Jorge Adelberto “Boy” Ecury. Born as a rebel. However, stubborn and
in Aruba on April 23rd, 1922, Boy naturally rebellious as he was, he
spent his childhood on the island, ings of Rotterdam first-hand, he always tried to join in on the opera- Famously, he told his cell mate: “I
before being sent to The Nether- decided to join the resistance. At tions regardless. will die with a smile on my face.”
lands by his father when he was the same time, he was still study- In 1944, after his friend Luis de Lan- On November 6th, 1944, Ecury was
15 years old to continue his stud- ing and living with family in Tilburg. noy, a fellow rebel from Curacao, executed. He was only 22 years
ies abroad. This was in 1937, three It was there where he met people was arrested and executed, he old.
years before WWII broke out. who printed and distributed the moved to Delft, where he joined Ecury was buried with military hon-
During the war, he actively partici- rebellion newspaper. This would his third and last group in Rotter- or. In 1949, the Aruban Govern-
pated in the rebellion in The Neth- be the first of three rebellion group dam. During this time, he wrote a ment erected a monumental bust
erlands against the Nazi regime, that he would join throughout his goodbye letter for his family, pos- of him in front of what is now the
but his rebellious streak and con- 4-year service to the resistance. sibly knowing the risks of him being linear park trail, and in 1984 he re-
stant drive to fight for justice began Boy’s primary task as member of active again in the big cities. ceived the Resistance Memorial
even before the war broke out. Be- the group was to distract the Ger- Eventually, he proved himself right. Cross postmortem.
ing a person of color with a Haitian man soldiers while others ran into On November 5th, 1944, Boy Ecury Boy’s life motto was this: “In my fa-
heritage living in The Netherlands hiding into alleyways. This he was was arrested by German soldiers. ther’s house, there is no place for a
made him vulnerable to discrimi- able to do because of his skin col- He was placed in the “Oranje- traitor.”q
nation, and this inspired him to be or and confronting demeanor. Boy hotel” prison in Scheveningen, The Source: “De Kolibrie op de Rots (en
an activist, to stand up and fight also participated in the multiple Hague, where he was questioned. meer over the geschiedenis van Aru-
against discrimination and oppres- sabotaging operations against Despite being sold out by an ac- ba)” by Evert Bongers.
sion. the German military occupying quaintance, he himself never gave
After seeing the horrific bomb- The Netherlands. These included away the names of his comrades.

Lessons from our elders: Plants and fruits for medicinal use

ORANJESTAD—Though western medicine is now Arrowroot
widely used for common illnesses and to keep Arrowroot is native to tropical America and can
our bodies healthy and happy, it is still very com- be sold as a powder or whole. It is said that you
mon in every household in Aruba (and around can take arrowroot powder and make a “shal-
the world) to have staple home remedies that is up” (porridge) for stomach pain or when you’re
passed on through generations. Here are some feeling weak. You can make it with milk too, but
tips that our elders have passed on to us over it is advised to best use just water. You can also
the years. add prunes for a bit of sweetness. Arrowroot
shalup is also good to treat an unhealthy gut or
Pineapple for diarrhea.
Pineapple has more uses than topping it on treat arthritis. q
your Christmas ham. According to elders, the To make arrowroot shalup, boil a bit of water
skin of a pineapple is great to use to refresh your and add one tablespoon of arrowroot powder *warapa: term referring to a water and sugar
body. Clean the skin thoroughly and make tea and stir continuously until you reach porridge solution, a.k.a simple syrup.
or warapa* with it. It is said that this tea can also consistency. If you make a shalup with milk, add *kataplan: porridge-like mixture used externally
be drank after an operation on the ovaries or a pinch of salt. Raw arrowroot powder can be for wounds or parts of the body that are painful
uterus. This gets rid of irritation and inflamma- used to powder babies. or swollen.
tion.
Eggplant/Aubergine
Eggplants, or aubergines, are easy to find in
supermarkets around the world and can be
grown all year round on the island. Related to
potato and tomato, eggplants are good to
calm nerves. It can also be used to lower blood
pressure, by steeping its leaves in boiled water
and drinking it. You can also make eggplant
juice to help purify your blood. However, do
make sure to drink slowly; let it mix with your spit
and then swallow.

Eggplant kataplan* can also be used to treat
skin tumors, abscesses and hemorrhoids. Egg-
plant kataplan can also be used externally to