Radio Gaga un storia Rubiano, a new book by author Julien Ignacio, has arrived at Biblioteca Nacional Aruba and will soon be available for borrowing.
The book, translated by Joyce Pereira, is the Papiamento edition of Ignacio’s original Dutch work titled Radio Gaga: een Arubaans verhaal. The story is fictional but set against the backdrop of Aruba’s recent history, particularly the prelude to Status Aparte and the era when Betico Croes helped give voice to Aruban identity.
Julien Ignacio is a Dutch‑Aruban writer known for his work Goudjakhals (2023), a short story collection about migrants that won two awards. The chapter Radio Gaga, which is included as the final story in Goudjakhals, pays homage to his Aruban heritage and to the community of Dakota. The book’s cover art was created by Kim Violenes, a Dutch‑Aruban artist who has lived in Aruba.
The free publication Radio Gaga and its accompanying educational program, Radio Gaga na Aruba, are produced by Fundacion Dakota in collaboration with Joyce Pereira, Olga Buckley, Biblioteca Nacional Aruba, Fundacion Rancho, and Colegio Arubano.
Arubans and visitors alike can look forward to this cultural addition, which brings together literature, history, and Aruban identity through a vibrant story rooted in the island’s past.
