Speech by Aruba's Cultural Diplomat Featured at UNESCO MONDIACULT in Barcelona
ORANJESTAD — Michael Lampe, Aruba's Cultural Diplomat, delivered two key speeches at UNESCO’s MONDIACULT conference in Barcelona, addressing The Importance of Culture and Digital Transformation & Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Sharing the stage with ministers and diplomats from around the world, Lampe highlighted the unique challenges and opportunities for small island states in the digital age.
“For islands like Aruba, digital transformation is not a choice, it is survival,” Lampe stated. “In the digital ecosystem, language diversity is not a decoration; it is identity.”
He spotlighted www.coleccion.aw, Aruba’s national heritage portal developed in collaboration with the Internet Archive, which now offers online access to more than 180,000 items.
On the topic of AI, Lampe presented the Hooiberg Model, a project of the National Archives of Aruba, supported by the National Library and University of Aruba students, and powered by the Transkribus platform. The model transforms handwritten colonial documents into legible, accessible resources, demonstrating how AI can serve as a tool for memory preservation and cultural accessibility.
Lampe’s messages echoed the priorities of UNESCO’s latest Global Report on Culture, particularly the call to expand digital accessibility, safeguard linguistic diversity online, and foster international collaboration to create an inclusive cultural ecosystem.
He concluded with a reflection on Aruba’s diversity:
“Coming from a small island of just 180 square kilometers, with about 110,000 inhabitants and more than 90 nationalities living together in peace, I bring the experience of a place where cultures, languages, and traditions coexist. Diversity is not something to fear—it is a source of strength. And that is what brings us together here at MONDIACULT: to reaffirm that culture, in all its diversity, must guide the transformation of our time, carry memory forward, strengthen identity, and safeguard our shared human future.”
About MONDIACULT
MONDIACULT (World Conference on Cultural Policies) is UNESCO’s leading global platform for cultural policy dialogue. First held in 1982 and again in 2022, it is the foremost forum where ministers, diplomats, and cultural leaders shape international strategies on how culture contributes to peace, sustainable development, and human rights. The 2025 edition in Barcelona focused on making culture a dedicated goal within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).