According to Wikipedia: World Refugee Day is an international day organized every year on June 20th by the United Nations. It is designed to celebrate and honor refugees from around the world. The day was first established on June 20th, 2001, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.
Aruba’s international and local aid organizations, HIAS, UNHCR, VeneAruba Solidaria, IOM – UN Migration, Pan American Development Foundation, and other partners usually invite their community members to a fun event, to celebrate World Refugee Day. This year was no different, the invitations for “Fiesta de la Familia” went out for Saturday, June 18th, at Centro di Playa Pabou, in Madiki, from 3pm to 7pm.
The afternoon of games, food, refreshments and music is usually filmed by Luis Zarraga Productions with the ever-friendly Luis on the microphone, soliciting interviews and views.
This year, representing GOA, the Minister of Labor & Integration made an appearance and granted Zarraga an exuberant interview.
He was happy to cultivate awareness for the protection of refugees, he said, after all there are 200 million of them around the world, and they have to know they are not alone, they have friends, prepared to safeguard their human rights, which is fundamental. We all have to contribute to a better world, he added because we share our HUMANITY.
As the Minister of Labor & Integration, he would like to proclaim himself the Minister of Union, it is his mission, he declared, to make Aruba everyone’s country. We are Aruba, he concluded, all those who are making their lives here, constitute Aruba.
I fell off my chair. Literally.
Such enlightment.
Such terrific acceptance and solidarity. A perfect statement.
Then I shook the spell off. Words are cheap. Actions counts. We have yet to see the charming talker do anything to alleviate the stressful situation of the undocumented in Aruba.
Just for you to know, dear reader, the single topic of conversation among major players in island hospitality is the stagnation at the Labor Department, and the bottle neck at DIMAS, who now wants all communications filed on line, so they never have to see any suffering human-being again. The sound bites on World Refugee Day, did not mean much.
@luiszarragaproductions @HIASARUBA @UNHCR @OIM @PADF
