Papiamento Language Crossing Borders

Papiamento is crossing borders as of 2008 with the poems by poet/writer Quito Nicolaas.

For a long time the author Quito Nicolaas is publishing his poems in Aruba, Holland and other islands in the Kingdom. Nearly in all local papers his poems were published for a wide range of reader. Like in the Caribbean he also performed on different stages in Holland with his Papiamento poems,  explaining the content of his work.

The last decade he is also being recognised on the international level. As of 2008 his Papiamento crossed the borders and captivated the hearts of other peoples who  lost their hearts to the idyllic life of Aruba, its nature, its lovely people and the dreams for the future. That year a haiku of the author came out  in Albania in the magazine Haik Albania. China also was interested in his works and in 2009 ‘Scultura di Santo’, one of his poems, was published in The Dictionary of International Contemporary Poets. Not much later Revista Biografia from Brazil wanted to publicize his poem ‘Encuentro’ among others.

Canada was the next country in 2011 who publicized the poem ‘Deseo/Desire’ in the ezine World Poetry Reading Series. Argentine was next in 2013 and in the anthology Arte Poética; Antología Internacional de Poesía, two poems ‘Paisaje Lirico’ and ‘Pintura Corporal’ translated into Spanish by Ramon Todd Dandaré, were published.

This year (2014) Poems for the Hazara: A Multilingual Poetry Anthology was published which has two poems by the author, namely ‘Conversation’ and ‘Betrayal’. And not long ago the magazine Margutte from Italy asked the author if they can publish his poems. One of the poems ‘Malvinas’ was translated into Italian.

In this way our maternal language Papiamento and our literature crossed the Caribbean border and travelled the world where peoples of Europe, Asia, North- and South America took notice of them. Not only were these continents introduced to the poetic art of this Aruban poet, but they also got to know the island of Aruba and our maternal language of Papiamento.

The works of Quito Nicolaas can be found at BookIsh Plaza.

Photo: I. de Cuba