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LOCAL Thursday 24 January 2019

Where culture, creativity and diversity lives, inclusion shall prevail!

Continued from Page 14 build recognition and connections within com- Just like culture and art are both key resources
munities. Cultural programs can accelerate the for dealing with Europe’s social challenges, this
Initiatives such as Trampolin pa Trabou have rootedness of newcomers including new mi- could be the case for Aruba (European Com-
paved ways how Aruba can create programs grants and those who have been casted out of mission, 2015). Social challenges that include
where special needs women and men receive the society. Local cultural activities and expres- social mobility, promoting new skills for jobs, ful-
the opportunity to be creative and share their sions can provide knowledge, awareness, and filling better employment and careers, fostering
talent with the people on the island. So, now can foster processes that also relate inhabitants healthier and longer lives, combating poverty
seeing Ilaijah being crowned in front of the is- to the past, the present, and the future (Dux- and social exclusion, and lastly, taking gender
land is an inspiration for all young boys and bury, Hosaghahar, & Pascual, 2016). Social co- equality and equal opportunities further. Cre-
girls that face personal challenges to not only hesion is simply one aspect of the entire social ative Islander would like to congratulate Ilaijah
dream, but to participate in cultural activities. agenda of a country. In the same way, Cultural Croes for her tremendous and beautiful perfor-
However, it is also a lesson for Aruba that in- and Creative Industries can serve as the lead- mance. Thank you for being brave, being your-
clusion means, that there should be more sup- ing economy that will encourage tolerance of self and for showing Aruba, that inclusion is the
port and less discrimination. The reaction of the diversity, openness and respect for all contrib- future.
Aruban society was sincerely moving and I am ute to avoid tension and to promote social har- Your touching speech to the community of
happy to see this progress. mony and cohesion, especially in multicultural Aruba reached the hearts of many. This is a
countries such as Aruba. milestone for Aruba, and will only enable more
By all means, culture enables citizen participa- inclusion in all cultural and economic platforms
tion, community empowerment, and social co- For Aruba, this is critical due to its multi-dimen- on the island. Where culture, creativity and di-
hesion as it promotes well-liked processes that sional complexity of nationalities and migration. versity lives, inclusion shall prevail!q

Biography – Currently, Thaïs Franken is a 22-year-old Aruban student at the University of Maastricht (UM). She
is studying a Master of Science in Public Policy and Human Development in collaboration with the Unites
Nations University (UNU). Back home, on the beautiful island of Aruba she completed her Bachelor of Arts in
Organization, Governance & Management (OGM) at the University of Aruba (UA). She successfully gradu-
ated and defended her thesis titled “Placing Culture and Creativity at the Heart of the Aruban Sustainable
Development” on July 6th 2018. Thaïs is very passionate about topics such as sustainability, innovation, cul-
ture and creativity. Next to her academic interests, she enjoys reading, writing, dancing and cooking.