courtesy of: The Morning News
Members of the Fundacion RESPETA BIDA…semper corda, which means “RESPECT LIFE...always remember,” in Papiamento, revealed the location in Wilhelmina Park in Oranjestad where a statue of Anne Frank will be placed on the anniversary of her birthday, June 12.
The brief life of Anne Frank, the German Jewish girl who died in BergenBelscn Concentration Camp after spending years hiding in an Amsterdam attic, has impacted generations though the posthumous publication of her touching diary in over 70 languages, now including Papiamento, recounting the ordeal.
Anne Frank’s statue in front of the house where her family and others existed for years in fear of being caught attracts visitors in droves and stands as a symbol of racial and religious intolerance.
In December of 2008, a bronze statue of Anne Frank by artist Joep Coppens, which was donated by the Dutch government to Costa Rica, was unveiled on the new pedestrian Bulevar Union Europea in San Hose on the 60th anniversary of the International Day of Human Rights.
Aruba’s Prime Minister Mike Eman was so touched by this memorial he approached members of the Jewish community in Aruba regarding such a statue having an honored place on the island. This resulted in the founding of Fundacion Respeta Bida in December of last year.
The foundation’s main goals are to safeguard the rights of every member of society in Aruba, promote tolerance, solidarity, freedom and equality, specifically against practices of racism, antiSemitism and xenophobia, which can undermine such a small island community.
The first Board of Directors of the foundation are Diana Pieters-Gonzalez (President), Jose Fernandes Perna (Vice President). Martha Lichtenstein-Goldenberg (Secretary), Frank Williams (Second Secretary), and Shereen de Cuba (Treasurer). Aruba’s First Lady, Doina Eman, is a “protector” of the foundation.
On Thursday morning the spot for the memorial was revealed and the community invited to join foundation volunteers for the official unveiling of the statue commissioned by Joep Coppens around sunset on Sunday June 12. The statue, which will be 1.24 meters tall, depicts Anne Frank with her hands bound, looking skyyard. The pedestal in San Jose bears the phrase from her book “Mi sueño es la libertad” - “My dream is liberty.”
