Emblem of Curaçao

The emblem of Curaçao (Papiamentu: Emblema di Kòrsou) is a yet to be adopted national symbol of Curaçao. The design will be based on a concept by Adresetti Monart featuring the Queen Emma Bridge, a cactus, a hummingbird and a traditional fishing boat, which was chosen through a design competition held in 2022.[1][2][3] The emblem is set to replace the coat of arms of Curaçao (Papiamentu: Eskudo di Kòrsou), which has been in use since 24 July 1964.[4][5]

Rendition of the winning concept by Adresetti Monart. The emblem's official design is yet to be revealed.[1]

History
Seal of Curaçao after 1795

Seal of Curaçao

Before 1964, the coats of arms of the Netherlands, and later, the Netherlands Antilles were used on Curaçao, as it did not have a coat of arms of its own. As an alternative, a modified version of the seal of the Dutch West India Company (WIC) was adopted in 1795 as the seal of Curaçao.[6] It featured a sailing ship surrounded by the text: Sigillum Curaçao Societate Indie Occidentalis.[6]

Coat of arms of Curaçao

Coat of arms of Curaçao

The design for the coat of arms of Curaçao was proposed by the High Council of Nobility in 1964, when Curaçao was still an island territory of the Netherlands Antilles.[7] It depicts a sailing ship of the WIC and a laraha (bitter orange), as well as the coat of arms of Amsterdam as an inescutcheon.[7] The design symbolizes Curaçao's history and connection with the House of Orange-Nassau and the city of Amsterdam.[7] The adoption of the coat of arms led to criticism from, among others, the Democratic Party due to its references to the island's colonial period.[8]

The coat of arms was blazoned as: Party per pale, first argent a sailboat proper in full sail on a sea azure, second argent a laraha vert on a mount in base of the same, overall a inescutcheon gules a pale sable three saltorels argent.

Replacement of the coat of arms
Top 10 of designs selected by the committee of experts (in random order)

On 23 December 2020, ten years after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, the Rhuggenaath cabinet decided that the coat of arms needed to be replaced by a new design, as this was deemed important for nation-building.[4][9] On 4 July 2022, a design competition was launched for a new emblem to replace the coat of arms.[4] Designs could be submitted from 20 July to 19 August 2022, after which they were evaluated by a committee of experts.[10][11] One of the requirements is that the motto must be in Papiamentu.[10]

Citizens of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who were born – or who have at least one parent who was born – in Curaçao (or elsewhere in the Netherlands Antilles and registered as a resident of Curaçao before 2010) could submit a design.[12] Foreign-born citizens who are naturalized in Curaçao could also enter the competition.[12] These rules received some criticism in the media for being discriminative against citizens from the European part of the Kingdom who reside in Curaçao.[12]

A total of 205 designs were submitted to the competition.[5] From 20 to 30 September 2022, the public could vote for their favorite out of ten designs selected by the committee.[11] The winning design was revealed on 10 October 2022 by Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas and Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Sithree van Heydoorn.[2] The designer of the winning emblem was awarded NAƒ15,000 (US$8,300).[5]

  • Variant coat of arms of Curaçao
    Variant coat of arms of Curaçao
  • Wopke Hoekstra and Gilmar Pisas posing before the coat of arms of Curaçao
    Wopke Hoekstra and Gilmar Pisas posing before the coat of arms of Curaçao
  • Rendition of one of the candidate emblems in the 2022 design competition
    Rendition of one of the candidate emblems in the 2022 design competition

See also

References
  1. Dam, Oscar van (17 October 2022). "Nieuw embleem voor Curaçao zorgt voor storm aan kritiek". Caribisch Netwerk (in Dutch). NTR. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  2. "Nieuw nationaal embleem van Curaçao bekendgemaakt". nu.cw (in Dutch). 10 October 2022. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  3. "Mi Pais, Mi Orguyo". emblema.cw (in Papiamento). Archived from the original on 23 September 2022.
  4. "Campagne voor een nieuw nationaal wapen Curaçao". Paradise FM 103.1 (in Dutch). 4 July 2022. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  5. "Over 200 New National Emblem Entries". Curaçao Chronicle. 22 August 2022. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  6. "Nederlandse Antillen". hubert-herald.nl. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  7. "Wapen voor Curacao". Amigoe (in Dutch). Delpher. 25 June 1964. p. 3. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  8. "DP-leden van mening: In wapen van Curacao teveel accent gelegd op koloniale tijdperk". Amigoe (in Dutch). Delpher. 24 July 1964. p. 3. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  9. "Curaçao krijgt een nieuw wapenschild". nu.cw (in Dutch). 3 March 2021. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  10. "Curaçao vraagt bevolking om ontwerp nieuw wapen". nu.cw (in Dutch). 4 July 2022. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  11. "Un emblema nobo". emblema.cw (in Papiamento). Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  12. "Verwarring over regels deelname 'Un emblema nobo'". Antilliaans Dagblad (in Dutch). 15 August 2022. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
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