The Story Behind the Story.
What started as a journalistic assignment became a deeper search.
During the making of the podcast Arubaanse Roots, historian Edric Croes pointed out something that changed everything:
Aruba did have plantations—we just don't call them that.
We call them cunucu, concessie grond, or tereno.
That insight shifted the entire perspective. If you look at the land differently, you begin to see the traces of this history. That was the starting point.
The research began with a small number of locations—five to six sites connected to the slavery past to showcase. From there, the process expanded.
We spoke with historians, anthropologists, archivists, librarians, elders, and community members. We walked through landscapes, compared historical maps with present-day geography, and cross-referenced archival records.
Slowly, connections began to appear. Piece by piece, the fragmented map started forming something larger: a clearer, fuller picture of slavery in Aruba. As the research grew, more locations surfaced—many of which still hold stories yet to be uncovered.
This work was never meant to remain in a report. The decision to create a documentary came from a need to make these stories visible and to bring them out of the archives and into the public eye.
But even after the film was completed, it became clear that the story was not finished. There were more places, more stories, more connections. This platform is the continuation of that work.
Si e Baranca por a Papia traces the history of slavery in Aruba through the landscapes where it unfolded. Through archival research, reenactments, and personal narratives, the film connects names from the archives to real locations—revealing a past that still echoes in the present.
A story rooted in Aruba, echoing across the Caribbean.
Watch the trailer on YouTube →
This project began with curiosity, but became reality through collaboration.
With gratitude to:
And to the crew, collaborators, family, and community members who made this possible.
