Courtesy of: the Morning News
Weeks of preparation will provide a royal welcome for HRM Willem-Alexander, and his wife, HRM Queen Maxima, on their last stop of their first royal visit of the Caribbean since ascending the throne in April. It began with a visit to St. Maarten on November 12, and organizers of activities during their two-day visit here, are determined to see their tour finish with a flourish.
The committee, headed by the Director of the Cabinet of the Governor, Martijn Boelen and the Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers, Nicole Hoevertsz, welcomed media for a final recap of events to take place over Wednesday and Thursday November 20th and 21st. There will be ample opportunity for islanders to view their new monarch and show their devotion to the throne. The Hyatt Regency Resort will be the host hotel and the public and media is asked to respect their privacy when they are not attending official events. Aside from local media, a battalion of international press will be arriving to record the monarchs’ visit.
The official welcome to the island will take place on L.G. Smith Boulevard, in front of the Parliament and Government Building at 10:00 AM tomorrow morning. HRM King Willem-Alexander and HRM Queen Maxima will be greeted by an honor guard of the Royal Dutch Marines as well as Governor Refunjol and Prime Minister Eman of Aruba. The public is encouraged to attend and there is no fee. L.G. Smith Boulevard will be closed off. Following the official greeting in the presence of local and visiting dignitaries, the royals will then meet with members of parliament and the Cabinet of Ministers.
An afternoon program titled “Show the King” will showcase the artistic and intellectual prowess of Aruba’s youth. Over the past month, a contest was conducted of photographs taken on smartphones, demonstrating “What is your vision of Aruba in twenty years?” Participants were asked to include an explanation of their image in no more than 250 words. Six photographs have been selected for exhibition, and the photographer of the image selected as the best will have an opportunity to discuss their photograph with HRM King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. The contest was open to islanders from the ages of 14 through 24. The exposition of the photos will be at the Santa Theresita Center in San Nicolas. The principal part of the program is a debate between students of the University of Aruba and the Youth Parliament, which consists of secondary school students on the same topic. They will present their arguments in teams of four each. They will also rebut the assertions of their opponents and be prepared to answer questions. The debate will be conducted in Dutch and English. The public is welcome to attend.
The first official day of the royal visit will end with a grand event, “Royal Night at Bushiribana,” beginning at 7:00 PM. It will include a concert featuring folkloric, carnival and popular music and dance, with local and international artists. The area around the Bushribana Gold Mine ruins has been prepared to accommodate 7000 spectators. Entrance is free and all are welcome. Bussing will be provided from three parking lots created for the event in Santa Cruz, Paradera and Piedra Plat, each about 5km from the site. The lots will open at 5:00 P.M., and spectators will be allowed into the staging area at Bushiribana at 6:00 PM.
