The Papiamento language is a reflection of the hybridity and entanglement of Aruban society, in which the language functions as a bridge between the colonial past and the present.  The Aruban sense of belonging is strongly connected with the Caribbean as a whole, but Papiamento is one of the most important elements that distinguishes Aruba and its people from the other Caribbean islands. What Aruba and the Caribbean have in common is a strong multilingualism of their people. Most people living in this region are speaking two or four languages which are all based in their daily life and culture. This multilingualism again represents the hybridity and entanglement of the region itself.

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As it is stated before (hybridity, belonging), multilingualism represents a certain Caribbeanness which functions as an element of cultural integration but at the same time, Papiamento is located in a permanent competition with the other spoken  languages such as Spanish, Dutch, and English.

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Thereby, in the the education system (language policy) these asymmetric linguistic relationships can be observed but also, how multilingualism is (re)constructed in a positive sense. As pointed out through this project, belonging and culture can be experienced as positive as well as oppressive (Pfaff-Czarnecka, 2011, 2013), in other words, it represents pure complexity and diversity. In the following video, Arubans will express the cmoplexity of the island:

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Finally, to sum up the analysis of this project, we created a map that reflects the key elements of it, visually.

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This map can be read in the following way:               *Follow this      on the map to travel through the content

                                                                                                                

 

Aruban society is a hybrid culture, where the following aspects can be observed: conflict (first space) reflected through the colonial powers (the Netherlands, Spain, and Britain), Portugal and African slavery - all of this, represents  a global dimension - and consensus (second space) which is reflected in some national narratives as, Ken Ta Arubiano (Who is Aruban?)is the local dimension.

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These two aspects, conflict and consensus, reflect the entangled history of Aruban society, which creates a mixture or third space, that resolves in and in-between space where the several influences, the complexity of Aruba come together and create something new, - Papiamento-, (language). This in-between space is also reflected  in the education system (language policy) where different regimes of belonging (belonging) function at the same time.