Note: English version at the bottom

Nos ta Sin Kabes. Un kolektivo di hende ku ta skirbi, krea i organisá rondó e tópiko nan  di: dekolonialisashon. Esaki ta enserá i no limitá na: polítika, medio ambiente, seksualidat i otro tópiko nan opremí na Kòrsou.

Promé ku nos kuminsá nos ke konmemorá e hendenan ku ta tei promé ku nos. Konsiente ku nos ta forma parti di un organismo sosial ku ta keda bini bèk den manera transformá riba metanan komunál ku no a kambia. Nos ta e kontinuashon di e Arowaknan, e Tulanan, Bajan Karpatanan i Marianan for di e temporada ku Hulanda a esklabisá Afrikanonan i hiba Kòrsou. Siguí pa Vitó, Elis Juliana, Rose Mary-Allen, Papa Godett, Shon Cola, Helmin Wiels, Maria Liberia-Peters, Joceline Clemencia, Su Girigori anto tur otro ku ainda no a ser menshoná den istoria!

Nos di Sin Kabes ta konsiente ku istoria ta skirbí dor di esnan ku a gana e lucha, p’esei nos ta mira e importansia di arkivá nos narativa. Nos lo bira, i pues alabes tá, e ansestronan ku ta diseñá e futuro i apoyá e aktivistanan ku lo bini despues di nos.

Un di e kosnan di más importante pa bai dilanti i progresá, ta di komprondé bo pasado. Nos tur siendo desendiente di Kòrsou, ta pone ku nos komprondementu di nos istoria ta bira mas difísil, komo ku hopi di nos a drenta i bira ‘Yu di Kòrsou’ na diferente momentu. Esaki ta e motibu ku nos ke eduká, teniendo den mente ku nos nó ta esnan ku sá tur kos di pasado i presente ku di tal manera lo forma i strukturá nos futuro. No solamente e era di kolonisashon i konkuista, pero tambe e luchadónan ku a sigui lucha kontra e kontinuishon kolonial. Gentrifíkashon, rasismo, seksismo, kolorismo, homofobia, ableísmo, èts.

Esaki ta e frutanan di kolonisashon kual nos ta kere ku nos komunidat mester ta mas informá riba djé, pa asina nos por tuma akshon. Pasó solamente ora ku tin informashon disponibel nos por trese kambio. Nos ta rekonosé ku nos ainda ta den e proseso di eduká nos mes, i nos k’é kompartí i eduká otro hende mientras tantu nos mes ta siña di otro. Pasó tur hende tin konosementu pa kompartí debí na nan eksperiensia di bida, ilustrando e resistensia kontra e kontinuidatnan kolonial di un manera komunal. Esaki, ta pone ku edukashon ta bira un di e pilar esensial pa kon nos, komunidat di Sin Kabes, lo konektá.

“El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido.”

Un sitashon ku ta wòrdu usá regularmente den konteksto di Latino Amerika durante manifestashonnan.

Ta importante pa menshoná ku un di e kosnan ku kolonisashon a kibra ta e sentido di komunidat, i loke nos, ‘Yu di kòrsou’, a haña den kambio ta, individualismo. Nos no mester lubida ku e manera di individualismo a wòrdu duná na nos komo un forma di dominashon pa e kolonisadónan(1) durante di nan konkista, un hèrmènt ku a pone nos no bin hunto si nò separá nos. Komo resultado, nos tur ta dividí; dor di identidatnan ku ta varia di raís, rasa, etnesidat, herensia i género. Pero loke nos tur tin na komún ta ku nos a wòrdu, i ta wòrdu eksploitá pa e kolonisadónan. Por ehèmpel, na trabou, skol, of bario i klupnan di deporte. Tur institushon por ta eksploitativo i dor di forma un sentido di union bo por bai kontra e inhustisianan ku institushon ta krea, por ehèmpel e movementu di 30 di mei di 1969.

Esaki tambe ta loke nos ke logra ku Sin Kabes, rekonosiendo ku nos tur ta bibando diferente bida, ku diferente trabou, diferente pashonnan pero nos ke mira un Kòrsou mihó i e úniko manera ku nos por logra esaki ta pa forma un unidat apesar di nos diferensianan, manera nos ta hasi durante e selebrashon di Karnaval. Unifikashon komo un manera pa rekonektá ku loke nos yá sa i ken nos ta.

(1) Kolonisadó Europeo: Un grupo ku ta ehersé dominashon riba otro hende òf grupo ku tin òf bini di diferente filosofianan, krehensianan, edukashon, ritual, karaterístikanan físiko, manera di bida, stimulá pa akumulashon di poder através di dominashon di rekurso i kòntròl kultural.

Banda di e pilarnan di eduká i unifiká, Sin Kabes ta rekonosé e importansha di organisá i tuma akshon. Organisashon ta un manera importante pa krea forsa den union ku ta konsistí di un individuonan ku ta enfoká riba tuma akshon; e ta duna direkshon, forsa i profundisashon na e kurpa kolektivo. Hasi preguntanan krusial manera;

• Kua ta e responsbilidatnan, i  di ken?

• Kua ta e rekursonan ku nos tin?

• Kiko ta falta?

• Kiko nos mester hasi pa yega na lokual nos ta haña ku mester?

• Kiko ta e koherensia den e union?

• Kiko nos ta hasi pa manehá konflíkto òf rasgonan di poder?

Sin Kabes ta komprondé ku organisashon ta tuma e kosnan ku no ta palabrá i  hasi esaki palabrá, pa nos por organisá i krea frikshon. Pa Sin Kabes, organisashon ta ser mirá komo un kurpa, por ehèmpel: kon un kurason ta traha huntu ku e selebre òf e tripa. Kiko ta nesesario pa kura? Kon nan ta traha kolektivamente pa laga e kurpa funshoná? Si e meta en komún ta pa krea frikshon, nos mester di varios forma di union òf hende ku ta organisá, pa krea esaki.

Sin Kabes ta kere ku “Den friksion tin posibilidat”.

Sosiedat den su totalidat ta kreá riba un sèt di kreensia i sistemanan sosial ku nos ta haña fo’i kas, skol, iglesia, kultura, media èts. Esaki ta influesiá kon nos ta filtrá i duna sentido na tur lokual ta sosodé pafó i paden di nos. Sabiendo ku tin mas kreensia òf sistema ku ta diferensiá for di lokual nos konosé; por duna nos un oportunidat bunita pa kuestioná esnan ku nos a haña. Ku e intenshon puramente pa wak si nan ta sirbi nos komo hende, òf no. E prákitika di frikshon ta kore profundamente den bena di dekolonisashon. Kreando un espasio ku ta normalisá e sintimentu di inkomodidat ora e kosnan ta wòrdu kuestioná. Durante e konfrontashon ku nos kreensia òf sistemanan, tin tres ruta ku nos por tuma:

• Keda ignorante i sigui (aunke nos tin duda)

• Skohé un ruta diferente

• Krea un ruta diferente huntu (ora posibel)

Ora nos krea i organisá frikshon komo Sin Kabes, nos ta hasi esaki ku intenshon di krea posibilidatnan pa pensamentu adishonal ku e intenshon puramente di drenta of krea duda. Sin Kabes ta spesifiká duda komo algu bon. Sinti duda i laga esaki digerí den nos mes, despues, ora bo sinti bo mes sigur nos por pone e sintimentu di duda na diskushon komo un kolektivo. Duda no importá kon grandi of chikí e frikshon por ta, hopi di nos ta interpretá esaki komo un menasa. Pero, rekonosé ku nos ta drenta frikshon ta duna un oportunidat úniko pa wak e mundu mas shinishi en bes di pretu ku blanku.

Sin Kabes ta rekonosé ku sistemanan di kreensia ku ta eksistí tin importansia den bida di un hende, pero si nan ta absoluto i e úniko manera di biba, lagando poko espasio pa kuestioná, e por bira limitá i peligroso. Esaki por resultá den un fenómeno visioso, debí na e temor ku bo por ta robes. Manteniendo esaki den mente, Sin Kabes ta mira abundansia komo un oportunidat pa medio di frikshon.

Keda pendiente pa diskurso ku ta provoká pensamentu i akshon.

-- Ingles / English version --

We Are Sin Kabes. A collective of people who write, create, and organize around decolonial, political, environmental, sexuality, and other oppressive topics in Curaçao.

Before we explain Sin Kabes further, we want to honor those who came before us. The reason is that we know that we are part of the social organism that continues to evolve in transformative ways around communal goals that have remained unchanged. We are the continuation of the Arawaks, all the Tulas, Bajan Carpathas, and Marias from the time when the Dutch enslaved Africans and Curaçaoans. To Vito, Ellis Juliana, Rose Mary Allen, Papa Godett, Shon Cola, Helmin Wiels, Maria Liberia-Peters, Jocelyne Clemencia, Su Girigori, and all those not mentioned in the history of Curaçao!

We, Sin Kabes, recognize that history is written by those who won the struggle, which is why we see the importance of archiving our history. We find it important to remind ourselves that we will become, and at the same time already are, the ancestors who will shape the future and support the activists who will come after us.

Sin Kabes uses four foundational pillars to guide our collective movement. The Sin Kabes pillars are:

Sin Kabes believes that understanding your past is essential for progress. As descendants of Curaçao, it can be challenging for us to grasp our collective history, as many of us identified and became ‘Yu di Kòrsou’ at different points in time. This is why we aim to educate others while recognizing that we are not all-knowing about the past or present, both of which shape our future. Our focus is not only on the era of colonization(2) and conquest in Curaçao but also on those who continue to resist colonial continuities, such as gentrification, racism, sexism, colorism, homophobia, ableism, and more.

These are the legacies of colonization that we believe people need to be more informed about, to take action. Only when information is accessible can we begin to create change. We acknowledge that we are still in the process of educating ourselves and wish to both share our knowledge and learn from others in the process. We also recognize that everyone has valuable insights to offer, shaped by their unique lived experiences, which underscores the communal resistance to colonial continuities. In this way, education becomes one of the central pillars through which we, as the community of Sin Kabes, will connect.

(2)European colonizer: A group exerting dominance on other people or groups with or from different philosophies, beliefs, education, rituals, physical features, and ways of life fueled by accumulation of power through resource and cultural domination and control.

“El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido.”

A quote regularly used in Latin American context during protests.

It is important to highlight that one of the key disruptions caused by colonization was the breakdown of our sense of community. What we, as ‘Yu di Kòrsou,’ inherited in its place was a culture of individualism. We must remember that this emphasis on individualism was imposed on us by the colonizers as a tool of domination, designed to prevent unity and instead foster division. As a result, we find ourselves fragmented—across lines of race, ethnicity, heritage, and now even gender. Yet, despite these differences, what unites us all is the shared experience of exploitation by the colonizers, whether in workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, or even in sports clubs.

Every institution can be exploitative and by forming a sense of union you can go against the injustices the institution creates, for example, the 30 di mei movements of 1969.

This is also the vision we have for Sin Kabes—recognizing that, while we all lead different lives, pursue different careers, and follow different passions, we share a common desire for a better Kòrsou. The only way to achieve this is by coming together as a united group, despite our differences, much like we do during Carnival celebrations. By uniting, we reconnect with both our shared knowledge and our true identity.

Next to the pillars of educating and unionizing, Sin Kabes sees the importance of organizing and taking action. Organizing is an important way to create momentum within the union of individuals aimed at taking action, it provides direction and depth to the collective body. Asking crucial questions such as;

• What are each person’s responsibilities?

• Which assets are available to us?

• What is lacking?

• How do we get what we might need?

• Seeing if the union is cohesive?

• How do we manage conflict or traits of power?

Sin Kabes understands that organizing takes the unspoken and makes it spoken, so we can organize and create friction. For Sin Kabes the organization is seen as a body, for example, how does the heart work with the brain or the gut? What is needed to heal? How do they work collectively to make the body function? If the common goal is to create friction, various unions or people organize to create this.

Sin Kabes believes that “In friction, there is a possibility”.

Society is built upon a set of beliefs and systems, but knowing that other beliefs and systems exist offers us a valuable opportunity to question the ones we've been given. The purpose is simple: to evaluate whether they truly serve us as a people. This practice of questioning lies at the heart of decolonization, creating a space where discomfort in the face of challenging ideas is normalized. When confronted with our beliefs or systems, we have three possible paths to take:

1. Stay ignorant and continue (even though we have doubts)

2. Choose a different route

3. Create a different route together (when possible)

When we create and organize friction as Sin Kabes, our goal is to spark deeper reflection with the clear intention of introducing or cultivating doubt. At Sin Kabes, we view doubt as a positive force. By allowing ourselves to feel doubt and letting it settle within us, we can, when we feel safe, collectively question that doubt. Regardless of the size of the friction, many of us tend to perceive doubt as a threat. However, acknowledging that we are engaging with friction opens up a unique opportunity to see the world in shades of gray, rather than simply black and white.

Sin Kabes acknowledges that existing belief systems are important to someone's life, but if it's absolute and the only way of life, while leaving little room for questions it can become limiting and dangerous. Which can result in a dangerous phenomenon due to the fear you might be wrong. By keeping this in mind, Sin Kabes sees abundance as an opportunity through friction.

Stay tuned for thought-provoking and action-inspiring discourse.