The Netherlands has more than 150,000 residents with roots in Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba. Thousands of these residents are successful in their own way. During 2018, the Foundation Ocan, originating from the Consultative Body for Dutch Caribbean persons, will put one of these persons in the spotlight every week. In the spotlight this week is the 50-year-old Angelo Maduro, a barber, carpenter and writer from Curaçao.
In his own words:
I can’t limit myself to just one thing. I write; I draw; I create theatre pieces. I am a preacher and I play the saxophone, trumpet and a little piano. Actually, I am a carpenter but have specialised myself as a barber. I have diplomas for it, but that doesn’t mean anything. A diploma can’t do anything on its own. As a seven-year old boy, I helped out in the Barbaria Mel 1 barbershop, which is still open in Otrobanda. People would call me Mel’s son. I left for the Netherlands in 1991, because my wife lived here. I first worked at the warehouse of the Albert Heijn supermarket. I considered the much heavy lifting to be exercise as I also practice a number of combat sports. They would call me superman because I was so quick. Thereafter, I opened my own barbershop in Almere, and am still a barber. Recently, I started a cleaning company.
Inspiration
When I was young boy, there were lots of quarrels and a lot of drinking in my surroundings. I decided from then on that I did not want that in my life, and as such, I have never drunk or smoked. When I saw a movie about Jesus Christ, I wanted to be the same – a peaceful man. On Curaçao, I was a member of a church community, New Song, and here in the Netherlands, I am as well. But before being a member of a church, I would follow my own feeling. The support of others is always welcome, but you must take your own steps and make your own choices. No one does that for you. After all, you don’t know for how long people will support you.
Obstacles
I don’t believe in poverty. I have survived both on a little and plenty money. On Curaçao, we had little at first, but when I went to work at Mel’s, I always had money. In the Netherlands, I got robbed; my instruments were all stolen, and I was struck in the head with a baseball bat. I alone fought against five men that attempted to rob a businessman. Yet I still talk to these persons, and some people think that’s naive. Everyone has a past you know; perhaps you have been abused or robbed, and maybe something else. When thinking on prison, people associate it with a prison cell, but a person’s past is his real past. Some persons are in prison for a week, others years, but as long as you are in prison, you will not progress in your life. It’s like a murderer that eats away at you. You need to distance yourself from it or even confront it. That prison is described in my book Ik wil niet terug (I don’t want to go back). It’s my story, as I have experienced it.
Help
I have worked with the youth in church for a long time. Many young people feel inferior or they have thoughts about dying. This starts with their upbringing. They never got a compliment and consistently heard that they were worthless. Or they were bullied at school. This is not only so in the Caribbean culture, it is also this way in the Netherlands. And many persons feel lonely. It makes me want to create a T-shirt line consisting of positive texts like: “Life can be beautiful despite everything.” I want to encourage and inspire people’s mindset in a positive way. I am currently writing a play about a father who misses his child. I have also done volunteer work for ex-convicts.
Tips
My ultimate goal is to help the youth. I want to teach the youth that you can do a lot with your hands. You can use them to steal, but you can also use them to earn five or 10 euros, or dollars, by cutting the hair of your friends and family. You don’t need expensive clippers or expensive scissors to do this job. There is sufficient work. Also, there are many gardens that need maintaining. Go clean those as a job. Young people who migrate to the Netherlands need to have a clear goal for themselves; a goal that would be beneficial for them and not dangerous. You can’t do anything for others if you don’t have a goal of your own.
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By Otti Thomas
