Aruba

Xander Bogaerts

Baseball Player

Xander Jan Bogaerts is an Aruban professional baseball shortstop for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Bogaerts is the fifth player from Aruba to reach the major leagues.

Bobby Farrell

Dance-pop Artist

Roberto "Bobby" Alfonso Farrell was a Dutch dancer and performer from Aruba, best known as the male member of the successful 1970s pop and disco group Boney M.

Maurice Bishop

Politician

Maurice Rupert Bishop was a Grenadian politician and revolutionary who seized power in a coup in 1979 from Eric Gairy and served as Prime Minister of the People's Revolutionary Government of Grenada until 1983, when he was overthrown in another coup by Bernard Coard, a member of his own government, and executed.

Sidney Ponson

Pitcher

Sidney Alton Ponson is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. As a player, Ponson stood at 6'1" tall and weighed 260 pounds. He threw right-handed. When he made his major league debut for the Orioles in 1998, he became the third player from Aruba to play in the major leagues. He also had a fastball that tops out at 95 mph. After the 2003 season, he was decorated with an Order of Orange-Nassau, in the grade Knight, along with fellow former Orioles Eugene Kingsale and Calvin Maduro.

Efren Eugene Benita

Pop Artist

Dave Benton is a pop musician and 2001 winner of the Eurovision Song Contest. Benton was born on the Caribbean island of Aruba in 1951 and in his 20s moved to the United States. As a drummer and a backing vocalist, he worked with The Drifters, Tom Jones, Billy Ocean, José Feliciano and the Platters. While living in the Netherlands in the 1980s, he met his future Estonian wife Maris on a cruise ship, then settled in Estonia in 1997. He has had a varied musical career in Northern European countries. He now lives in Estonia with his wife and two daughters, Sissi and Lisa. He performed in the German production of the musical 'City Lights' after which he was asked to replace Engelbert Humperdinck on his Australian tour. Though he has released and produced quite a few albums already, one of which in his native tongue, Papiamento, his career to date shows him to be more of a performing artist rather than a recording one. Benton is octolingual, speaking English, Spanish, Papiamento, Dutch, French, German, Portuguese, and Estonian. In 2001 he performed with budding Estonian rock singer Tanel Padar and boyband 2XL to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 with their song "Everybody".

Susan Cagle

Pop rock Artist

Susan Cagle is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, known by her stage name Susan Justice. She is known best for her debut self-recorded album, The Subway Recordings.

Wally Warning

Musical Artist

Ewald "Wally" Warning is a Roots-, Reggae-, Ragga-, Latin-Singer living in Munich. He is the son of Surinamese parents. At the age of 17 he moved from Aruba to the Netherlands, where he had a hit single with "The World Needs Love" in the early 1980s, and around 1990 to Germany. He put his singing career on hold while he played bass guitar in touring bands with Sam & Dave and Lightnin' Hopkins, but restarted his solo career in the 2000s. He reached a broad audience when he produced and sang the radio summer hit "No Monkey". The song reached the top thirty in both Austria and Germany.

Mike Eman

Politician

Mike Eman is an Aruban politician who is the 5th Prime Minister of Aruba and the current leader of the Aruban People's Party, which holds the new majority in the Aruban Estates as a result of the seventh Aruban General Elections held on 25 September 2009. His political career began in 2001, but Eman has been involved in politics in one way or another since his childhood. His grandfather, father and brother were all prominent politicians in their time, with Henny Eman having preceded him in service as Prime Minister of Aruba, including as the first to ever hold the office. Eman is a graduate of the University of the Netherlands Antilles earning his law degree in 1992 with a thesis entitled “The Position of the Institution of the Public Prosecutor vis à vis the Minister of Justice in a Small Scale Community.” In 1996 he earned a degree in Civil Notary Law from the same university. From 1992 to 2001, Eman worked as a civil law notary and co-founded several private commercial ventures and foundations for political studies. He began his formal political career in September 2001 when he appeared 3rd on the list of the AVP. The 2001 elections did not go in favor of the AVP causing the party to lose 4 seats in the parliament. This led to the decision of the AVP leader, Tico Croes, to relinquish his leadership. The leadership was handed over to ex-minister of Justice, Pedro E. Croes. Mike Eman became the vice-president of the party and the leader of the AVP faction in the Parliament of Aruba. In 2003, Mike Eman was elected leader of the AVP. After the 2005 elections, the AVP regained 2 seats and Eman emerged as the defacto vote getter of the elections with more than 12% of the votes to his name.

Percy Irausquin

Man

Joseph Gregory Percy Irausquin was an Aruban-born Dutch fashion designer and couturier based in Amsterdam. He was described by the Dutch media as "one of the most talented young designers in the Netherlands." The Dutch national daily newspaper De Volkskrant described his clothing designs as "sexy and extravagant" and "fashionable but not fussy." Irausquin was born in Oranjestad, Aruba, on June 26, 1969. He graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, an art and design school in Amsterdam. His work was noticed by Christian Lacroix, a high end French fashion designer. Irausquin went to work for Lacroix in Paris shortly after his graduation. He later worked for Givenchy with Hubert Barrere, a corset specialist, and at the house of Christian Dior. Irausquin was named by Vogue Magazine as a prominent up-and-coming designer in 2007. His work was featured on the covers of several Dutch and international magazines, including Marie Claire and Elle. He held a fashion show at the Amsterdam Fashion Week 2008 just a few days before his death. He was once quoted in an interview as saying of his work, "I'm not one for complicated ideas. I'm not an innovator. I don't want to change the world. I just want to make it more beautiful."

Roger Peterson

Alternative rock Artist

Roger Francis Peterson is an Aruban-Dutch musician. He is known as the lead vocalist for the now-defunct rock band Intwine, which disbanded in October 2010. He also was a competitor on the first season of Dutch talent show Idols.

Maureen Bunyan

Journalist

Maureen Bunyan is an Aruban-American Washington, D.C.-based television journalist. Currently she is the lead co-anchor at WJLA-TV. Bunyan is a founder and board member of IWMF, a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists. and President of Maureen Bunyan Communications, Inc. She was named a "Washingtonian of the Year" in 1992 and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Washington Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, "The Silver Circle" of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the Broadcast Pioneers Club of Washington.

Emily Bolton

Actor

Emily Bolton is an Aruban actress probably best known for her appearance in the James Bond film Moonraker in which she played 007's Brazilian contact Manuela. She is also known for her TV appearances as a recurring cast member in : ⁕Space: 1999 in which she played Operative June. ⁕Tenko, the BBC prisoner of war drama in which she played Christina Campbell. ⁕Capital City in which she played Sylvia Roux Teng. Other TV credits include Survivors and Crossroads. She is also credited as June Bolton. In the book Tenko Reunion it is stated that she is no longer acting and has become an agent.

Tim Clark

Man

Tim Clark is current President of Emirates and the Chairman of the Emirates Foundation. He was also the Managing Director of SriLankan Airlines until 2008. Tim Clark is an economics graduate from the University of London and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Frits Goedgedrag

Politician

Frits M. de los Santos Goedgedrag served as the first Governor of Curaçao. He submitted his resignation to Queen Beatrix on 24 October 2012, to become effective one month later. From 1992 to 1998, he served as Lieutenant Governor of Bonaire and from 2002 to 2010 as Governor of the Netherlands Antilles.

Henny Eman

Politician

Jan Hendrik Albert "Henny" Eman was the first Prime Minister of Aruba from 1 January 1986 to 9 February 1989 and again from 29 July 1994 to 30 October 2001.

Fredis Refunjol

Politician

Fredis Jose Refunjol is an Aruban politician serving as the current Governor of Aruba. Originally a teacher, he has served as a government official for the past twenty years, starting as a Member of the Estates of Aruba. Governor Refunjol was born in Aruba on 19 December 1950 and is married to Clarette Maria de Lourdes Refunjol-Lopez. Together they have two daughters and one son. Refunjol received his Higher Elementary Education diploma in 1968 and his Senior General Secondary Education diploma in 1973. Three years later, in 1973, he graduated from the Aruba Teacher-Training Academy and was certified as a teacher. Upon graduation, he secured employment at the Heilig Hart College in Savaneta as a teacher. He taught for eight years before being promoted to Principal in 1981. Two years later, in 1983, Refunjol joined the Movimiento Electoral di Pueblo. The next year he became the party's vice president, holding that position until 1987, when he was named as the party Secretary General. While serving as party vice president, he stood as a candidate in Aruba's first parliamentary elections in 1986, where he was elected to the Estates of Aruba. In 1989, he was the informateur during both the formation of the first cabinet of Prime Minister Nelson Oduber and that of a second cabinet formed in 1993. After the first cabinet was formed, he was named Minister of Welfare, serving until the MEP lost at the polls in 1994. During the Government of Henny Eman, he reverted to his original role as a member of the Estates. After seven year in the opposition MEP won the 2001 elections, after which Refunjol served as formateur for the third cabinet of Oduber. In Oduber III, he was named Minister of Education and Administrative Affairs, in addition to becoming Vice Prime Minister.

Betico Croes

Politician

Gilberto François "Betico" Croes was an Aruban political activist who was a proponent of Aruba's separation from the rest of the Netherlands Antilles. This eventually occurred, but Croes lapsed into a coma after an accident on 31 December 1985 and was never conscious to see his accomplishment. He is called the father of the Aruban nation. The accident he suffered was questioned by many, because a car was seen leaving the area after the accident. This conspiracy theory was never proven. He was the leader of the political party People's Electoral Movement and in 1976 was the person responsible for the Seal, Flag and Hymn of the island of Aruba. The hymn was co-written by renowned Padu Del Caribe, and Rufo Wever, who also composed the anthem. He was also responsible for the referendum held in March 1977, regarding Aruba's independence, in which 83% of the votes were in favor of independence. Betico Croes also was responsible for formally setting Aruba’s Independence Date for 1991, at the Round Table Conference in February 1981, But at the Round Table Conference in March 1983 the date for Aruba’s Independence was changed from 1991, and set in two stages/steps: the first stage/step: Aruba’s Independence from the Netherlands Antilles was set for 1986, and for ten years later, the second stage/step: Aruba’s Independence from the Netherlands, for 1996. At Betico’s arrival in Aruba, after the RTC, he was received with total approval and joy by the people.

Edwin Abath

Politician

Edwin Bibiano Abath is an Aruban politician and former singer who currently holds the office of Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba. From 1999 until 2005 he was a Member of Parliament for the Aruban People's Party in the Estates of Aruba. He represented Aruba as a singer in the 1988 OTI Festival.

Gene Kingsale

Baseball Player

Eugene Humphrey "Gene" Kingsale is a former Major League Baseball player with the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, and Detroit Tigers from 1996 until 2003. At six-foot-three, and his weight ranging from 170 to 194 pounds, Kingsale is known as a slick fielding, speedy switch-hitter who throws right-handed, he has played extensively for The Netherlands national team in international competition, including the World Cup of Baseball, the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece as well as the World Baseball Classic tournaments in 2006 and 2009. Since 2008, he has played for perennial champions Neptunus Rotterdam in the Dutch Hoofdklasse, as well as being a key member of The Netherlands national team, which played in Beijing Olympics.

Nelson Oduber

Politician

Nelson Orlando Oduber was the Prime Minister of Aruba. He was a member of the Movimiento Electoral di Pueblo. He was prime minister for the first time from 1989 until 1994, when his party lost parliamentary elections, and has been prime minister again from 2001 until 2009. He led the MEP to victory in the 2001 and 2005 Estates elections, the first consecutive election victories since Aruban status aparte in 1986. In the general elections for seats in the Seventh Estates held on 25 September 2009, Prime Minister Oduber's People's Electoral Movement lost its majority for the first time in eight years. His party lost the majority to the largest opposition party on the island. He was succeeded by the leader of the Aruban People's Party and the now incumbent Prime Minister Mike Eman. Oduber's term ended on October 30, 2009. Oduber has recently announced that he will not lead the opposition in the parliament, meaning that he will not take the position of member of parliament but will remain leader of his party. He wanted a new candidate in his place.

David Abdul

Soccer Midfielder

David Abdul is a professional footballer who plays for Sparta Rotterdam in the Dutch Eerste Divisie. He is a forward player who graduated through the Sparta academy and reserve teams, making his first team debut on 18 January 2009, aged 19 years and 154 days. In 2011, David was the highest paid athlete from Aruba at $65,312. Abdul has mostly been used as a substitute for Sparta in his first three seasons, playing 6 league matches in two seasons. After Sparta relegated in the 2009–10 season, he became a more regular starter in the club's Eerste Divisie campaign.

Raymond Baten

Soccer Midfielder

Raymond Baten is an Aruban footballer who plays for Voorschoten '97.

Fred Jüssi

Musical Artist

Fred Jüssi is an Estonian biologist, nature writer and photographer. Jüssi was born on Aruba, where his father worked for a Venezuelan oil company. His family returned to Estonia and settled in Tallinn when Jüssi was 3 years old. After finishing high school in Tallinn he studied biology and zoology in Tartu University, graduating in 1958. He has worked as a school teacher, as inspector for nature protection, radio broadcaster for Eesti Raadio, freelance writer and nature campaigner. In Eesti Raadio he ran the program Looduse aabits from 1976 to 1986. In the beginning of 1990s he was for a few years the president of Estonian Nature Fund. Jüssi has published numerous books, articles and audio recordings related to nature. He was the first recipient of Eerik Kumari Award, given to him in 1989. Jüssi is probably the most influential person in Estonia engaged in writing, talking and popularising nature.

Calvin Maduro

Pitcher

Calvin Gregory Maduro is a retired professional baseball player. He played 5 years in Major League Baseball between 1996 and 2002. He is currently a scout for the Baltimore Orioles.

Boy Ecury

Man

Boy Ecury was a member of the Dutch Resistance in World War II.

Jemal Le Grand

Olympic athlete

Jemal Le Grand is an Aruban swimmer who competes in the Men's 100m Freestyle. He was flag bearer at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He also competed at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships.

Henry Habibe

Man

Frederick Hendrik Habibe is an Arubian poet, literary critic and literary man. He published his poetry mainly in the period following the creation of his magazine Watapana. Most of his poems he writes in the Papiamento language, occasionally in Spanish and Dutch. In 1985 he received his PhD at the University of Leiden on the study El compromiso en la poesía afro-antillana de Cuba y Puerto Rico, that as its main subject treated Nicolás Guillén and other poets. He also published studies on the work of Pierre Lauffer, JS Corsen and Luis Daal. Reviews he wrote for the Antillian newspapers Amigoe di Curacao and Beurs- en Nieuwsberichten. Henry Habib is a member of the advisory board of the Werkgroep Caraïbische Letteren of the Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde in Leiden.

Reg Isidore

Musician

Reg Isidore was a rock drummer best known for his work with Robin Trower. Isidore was Trower's first drummer and he played on the Robin Trower Band's first two albums Twice Removed from Yesterday and Bridge of Sighs. He regrouped with Trower and Jack Bruce in 1981 to record the album Truce. He also recorded albums with Richard Wright, Peter Green and Jimmy Witherspoon, among others. Isidore died from a heart attack in the morning of 22 March 2009.

Jossy Mansur

Journalist

Jossy Mehsen Mansur is a descendant from an originally Lebanese family, which settled on the island of Aruba. He is the editor of the Papiamento-language newspaper Diario in Aruba. Jossy Mansur has written two dictionaries for the Papiamento language and has written a history of Aruba among other numerous other books.

Merle Collins

Woman

Merle Collins is a Grenadian poet and short story writer.

George Prime

Politician

George Prime is a politician from the island of Grenada. He currently serves as that nation's Minister of Carriacou and Petit Martinique Affairs.

Elvis Albertus

Football player

Elvis Albertus, is a former Aruba football manager. He is currently the head coach of Aruba. And he is manager from SV La Fama.

Frido Croes

Politician

Francisco Walfrido Croes is an Aruban politician and former schoolteacher who holds the office of Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba. Croes was born in Aruba, one of the Caribbean islands of the Lesser Antilles and a country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Having obtained his havo diploma, Croes began studying to become a teacher at the Aruban Pedagogical Academy. After graduating, he worked as a teacher for a decade at the Colegio San Jose of Santa Cruz. During the last four years of this time, he also held the position of head teacher. Between 1994 and 2001 he was employed as the Public Liaison Official of Education by the Department of Education. In 1988, Croes became a member of the People's Electoral Movement Movimiento Electoral di Pueblo, a major Aruban political party. From 1989 until 1994 he held a seat for the MEP in the Estates of Aruba, the Aruban legislature. In the period of 1993–1994 he was also the Vice-President of the Estates. In 2001, he was elected the President of the Estates. In 2004, Croes asked to assume the portfolio of Education and Administrative Affairs from Fredis Refunjol, after the latter’s appointment to be the Governor of Aruba. In the formation of the fourth Oduber Government’s cabinet on the 8th November 2005, Frido Croes was named the Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba in the Netherlands.

Michiel de Jong

Actor

Michiel de Jong is an actor.

Boyoura Martijn

Award competitor

Boyoura Martijn is a beauty queen who represented Aruba in Miss World 2007 in China.

Hildward Croes

Musical Artist

Hildward Croes is an Aruban musician, composer, arranger and three-time Grammy Award nominee. Croes was born on the Caribbean island of Aruba and began performing at a young age as a keyboardist with different bands. With Cryptus Confession he recorded an album of original compositions in 1979 which included the number one song "Love Dream". He moved to the United States in the early 80s to study music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. After obtaining his Bachelor's Degree, he continued his graduate studies at Bowling Green State University in Ohio where he obtained his Master of Music degree in 1988. In 1989 he was contracted by Wilfrido Vargas with whom he toured the world and earned a Grammy nomination for his contribution as co-producer on the album Animacion. In late 1990 he joined Juan Luis Guerra & 440 as keyboardist and programmer and performed concerts throughout North, Central, and South America, as well as the Caribbean and parts of Europe. He then went on to join Chichi Peralta & Son Familia in 1997 and won a Latin Grammy for best Merengue album in 2001 with ...De Vuelta Al Barrio. In 2006, he earned a Latin Grammy nomination for best Merengue album with Mas Que Suficiente on which he made musical arrangements and played the accordion, piano, and keyboards. He won numerous awards and prizes in his native Aruba and owns a production company and recording studio.

Chris Comvalius

Actor

Chris Comvalius is an actress.

Frederick Gomez

Footballer

Frederick Gomez is an Aruban football player. He has played for Aruba national team.

Jeffrey Werleman

Footballer

Jeffrey Werleman is a football goalkeeper and member of the Aruba national football team. His first club was Caravel.

Curt Fortin

Presenter

Curt Fortin is an actor.

Christina Trejo

Award competitor

Christina Marie Trejo-Baiz is a beauty queen who represented Aruba in Miss World 2008 in South Africa. She studied for a BSc, with a major in tourism, intending to become a Public Relations Ambassador for Aruba. She competed in Miss International 2009 in China.

Eric Abdul

Soccer Goalkeeper

Eric Abdul is an Aruban footballer who palys for DHC Delft.

Carl Henriquez

Weightlifter

Carl Henriquez is an Aruban weightlifter. He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the +105 kg event.

Ikel Lopez

Soccer Defender

Ikel Lopez is an Aruban footballer. He has played for the Aruba national team.

Fiderd Vis

Man

Fiderd Vis is a judoka from Aruba. He competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, and was the flag-bearer for his nation during the opening ceremonies of those games.

Sylvester Schwengle

Footballer

Sylvester Schwengle is a football player and member of the Aruba national football team. He has 4 caps for national team. His playing position is right wing.

Lasana M. Sekou

Essayist

Lasana M. Sekou is a poet, short story writer, essayist, journalist, and publisher from the Caribbean island of Saint Martin.

Steve Escalona

Soccer Midfielder

Steve Escalona is a football player.

Jean-Luc Bergen

Soccer Midfielder

Jean-Luc Bergen is an Aruban footballer who plays for VSV Tonegido.

Brian Siem

Soccer Defender

Brian Siem is a football player.

Theric Ruiz

Soccer Midfielder

Theric Ruiz is an Aruban football player. He plays for Aruba national team.

Rashidi Gilkes

Soccer Forward

Rashidi Gilkes is a football player.

Lionel Tromp

Soccer Forward

Lionel Tromp is a football player and member of the Aruba national football team. He has four caps for national team. He plays as striker.

Roman Aparicio

Soccer Defender

Roman Aparicio is an Aruban football player. He has played for Aruba national team.

Francois Croes

Footballer

Francois Croes is a football player and member of the Aruba national football team. He has 3 caps for national team. His playing position is left back.

Erik Santos de Gouveia

Soccer Midfielder

Erik Santos de Gouveia is an Aruban footballer who plays as a midfielder. He played at the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier

Luis Carlos Croes

Soccer Midfielder

Luis Carlos Croes is a football player.

Jesus Paesch

Football player

Jesus Paesch is a football player and member of the Aruba national football team. He has 2 caps for national team.

Killiam Bolivar

Soccer Forward

Killiam Bolivar is a football player.

Jayme Mata

Olympic athlete

Jayme Mata is an athlete.

Ulises Nuñez Garcia

Soccer Midfielder

Ulises Nuñez Garcia is an Aruban footballer who plays for SV Britannia.

Jefferson Vegas

Soccer Defender

Jefferson Vegas is an Aruban footballer who plays for SV Deportivo Nacional.

Daniella van den Berg

Olympic athlete

Jomar Martis

Soccer Midfielder

Jomar Martis is a football player.

Dwaynalex Raven

Soccer Midfielder

Dwaynalex Raven is a football player.

Nancy Jones

Woman

Nancy Jones is the mother of Jim Jones.