The importance of the National Archives for Aruba
ORANJESTAD -Recently, during a press conference, Director of the National Archives Dr. Raymond Hernandez declared, "A country that believes in its future must honor and preserve its past. For that reason, the existence of a national archive in Aruba is of great strategic and cultural importance.
The National Archives of Aruba will be in the spotlight during the visit of the Secretary of State for Kingdom Relations, Eddie van Marum, this week. A significant sum will be allocated from the slavery reparation fund for an impressive restoration project of the monumental water tanks in Kibaima as part of a modern complex that will accommodate the National Archives of Aruba. Prime Minister Mr. Mike Eman explains that the government resumed Aruba's participation in the dialogue on how to manage the aspects of this difficult and painful history. Hence, Aruba was eligible to participate in funds allocated by the Netherlands and therefore chose, among other things, the National Archives project in a monumental way.
Dr. Hernandez explains that a national archive serves as the official country's memory. It is a place where documents, photographs, videos, and other historical material are stored in a safe and professional manner so that the essential information of our history and identity is not lost.
The archives of Aruba hold documents that tell the history of our government, our institutions, our economic development, and our social and cultural life. Without a national archive, much of this history is lost, creating a void in the knowledge of who we are and where we came from.
In addition to preserving the past, a national archive is fundamental to:
- Education—give schools and researchers access to sources.
- Transparency and accountability—ensure that government and private information is available for study and research.
- Cultural identity—preserving and making our heritage available to future generations.
The National Archives is more than a repository of papers and documents; it is a caretaker of our heritage, a research center, and a reference point for all who believe in the value of our history. To fulfill this important task, the National Archives of Aruba (ANA) needs to have adequate spaces with temperature regulated according to the needs of each element of their large collection. This is not a "one size fits all" approach, but spaces with precisely calculated temperature and humidity to keep each file in optimal condition.
Preserving, protecting, and making our documents available is an investment in our future as a people. Aruba must continue to work to strengthen the institutions that preserve our collective memory so that our cultural identity and democracy can continue to live and flourish.
Prime Minister Eman, also in charge of the National Archives, in this context also mentions the extremely important project that is the platform www.collecion.aw. A large part of Aruba's history, photographic and audiovisual documents and archives” has been digitized and is directly accessible to everyone, an enormous contribution to, among other things, “research” to develop, substantiate and deepen, analysis of many topics.