The womensvoice on the answer machine sounds a little bit nervious. The message was an invitation for a performance on a party. But she left a telephone number that looks like a number in the U.S.A. 'Who should call me out of U.S.A. for a performance? She will call back again', I thought. And yes. A few days later she called. That's when I got a flashback. She and her husband are two Rotary International members, who saw my show during the Alma Latino Party by Van der Valk. On the same night they started a conversation about the possibility
to contract me for a Rotary Club party. 'We will call you', said the man. That frase was not unknown to me! It took some month, but he kept his words. The ussue was that he wanted to organise something special during a 'Rotary Club Lady's Night' dinner. Somewhere in the neighbourhood of Amsterdam. Later on he would tell me the exact adrress.
In the days before my show he called a few times to be assure of my presence on the party. We spoke often about what the evening should become. A relaxed and cosy happening. A little secretive I found it all. But with all those 'captains of industry' together it may be necessary. On the day of my performance I had to be in a hotel. The only one in the village. Easy to find, so nothing could went wrong. But on that day I passed the building and reached the end of the village. I turned the car and drove back. Oh yeah, there was the hotel on the corner of the street, hidden behind a orange canvas. There was no difference between it and the other buildings surrounding. I parked my car on the street side and walk to the hotel. Outside blew a cool breeze out of IJsselmeer.
On the terrace of a bar in front of the hotel some people was enjoying the dry weather with a glass beer in hand. It was late in the afternoon.
The summer was almost over. If it was not cloudy, probably my performance would took place in the garden of the hotel at the water side.
When I walked in to the hotel, I saw the personal preparing the tables.
The table sheet had salmon color and was tight hanging on the table. The fork, knife and spoon was layed conform the etiquette-rules.
Each table was decorated candles and a vase with flowers. Only the dishes had to be placed.
In a corner of the dinner room was a white piano.
Some-one would think about Richard Clayderman.
I got the opportunity to see the kichen and the chief cook gave some explenation about the menu.
"Ossenhaas met drie stokjes asperge en een lekker sausje", he said.
It took a while before all the guest has arrived.
But when the first couples were doing their first dance, it seemed that I lost a heavy weight off my back.
The chairs and tables with the welcome drinks and snack have been moved aside to give the people want they wanted.
With-in a minute was everybody on the dancing floor. Ok, dancingfloor!!! The hotel lobby has been convert in to a dancing-floor. Although we have not agree before that I should tell something about my singing, the host asked me to do that. I was surpriced. At that moment I only could tell where I was born, how long I was singing, the awards I got during the past years and I also said that maybe I will write a book there about.

On the dark firmament flashes at the east side a fierce beam of light. 'They are frying banana on Venezuela', we often said. Joking ofcourse. Beacuse it was the flash of lightening in the south. In that direction is Venezuela. With a clear weather you can see from the Bonairians coast the hills on Venezuela. The distance is about 37.2 miles till the northcoast of Venezuela. Bonaire has a surface of 112 square miles and it makes you think about a giant who made a bow forwards. In the south-east is situated the small island Klein Bonaire. Nobody lives there but many people go there by boat. They enjoy there the sea life on the bottom of the sea. Sometimes sounds the rustling of the north-east wind through the tropical growth and over the rocky hills very spooky in the silence and quite nature of the island. Craking of Divi-Divi tree boughes, the rustle of tree leaves, the melodic choir of a mix of singing birds cheer up the nature of Bonaire. During the rainy season the environment is extra embellished by in full blossom. Each year Bonaire has some festivity days with a lot of music. Generally it's about folk happenings that for centuries exsist. Before the comming of the Spaniards in 1499 the Indians, first natives, had their own music and songs. In his book Muziek en Musici van de Nederlandse Antillen wrote Edgar Palm that the Indians used the shells of sea-conches (Karkó) as blow-horn. Flutes were made of animal's boons. With the comming of the Spaniards and the growth of the trade traffic of the West-Indische Compagnie as well, the situation has changed. At the beginning and in the nineteenth century was the classical music on the Nederlands Antilles mainly from European componists. Around 1800 different kind of music instruments like, flutes, violins, guitar and horns were imported on board of sailing-ships from Europe to Curaçao and Venezuela. Music events could be very minimal on Bonaire. The island did not have so many inhabitants and they was very devotion. But obviously there was a desire for entertainment. This gave utterance to the occasion of the celebration of Papa Cornés his 100st anniversary on the 27th of september 1849. Somewhere there was dancing party. And as Ma Perina Piar has danced a menuet, thy French statedance with a elegance character, with Papa Cornés, there also must have been sounds of music. In the church for sure some people played music. First by Ma Emma. After her Betsy Muskus. Also she played the organ in the church of Playa. She taught Mathilde de Bruyn to play the organ. There was also a female singer, Ariëtte de Groot. Churchy as well. The choir songs were to add lustre to the church ceremonies. Later on raised the concert choirs Kanta Orkidia and Ars Cantandi. Chamber music was practice in a closed circuit of friends. For the propose of this manuscript the summary above seems to me to be enough. My conclussion is that some development took place on the island, which was a stimulus to raise music groups on Bonaire, who become widly oriëntated. Dr. J. Hartog: 'Bonaire has a number of own conjuntos or local music society and bands, but remarkable is, that even if they can give some beautiful presentation, yet for special ocassions a band from Curaçao will be contracted.' Anyhow, they kept practice their own music on Bonaire.
My uncle, Tavio Sint Jago (1914), sent me a resumé of some music activities in the periode 1925-1957 in Rincón.
I will give the word to Tavio himself: 'Violin players were: my father Pol Sint Jago alias Polli Spekkie, Els 'Makakoe' Schermer, John 'Pottopotto' Pourier and also Pol di Koenkoen. Bass gitar: Chandie Vlijt and Manuel Piar. Drums: Tochi di Nellie and Tochi di Louisa. These are the ones that in the year 1925 when I grew up - as far as I can remember -was making music.'
Tavio raised in the year 1934 a Bongo band. In that time he was engaged to Machi. One night he gave a serenade to her from behind the railing so that they could hear it inside the house. 'I sang:

Ta bo ta e unico Moza Ku mi por stima tantu Mi ke bira bo esklabo Pa sirbibo henter bo bida

You are the only Lady That I can love I want to be your slave To serve you the whole life long

(They married in 1935) 'Rincón was different. And yes! I have raised the Bongo band in 1934. I was the lead singer en played palitu. Maurens Molina on marimúla, Demetrio the gitar, Chandy Vlijt on tres, Clement the cuarta and some young men in the choir.' In 1957 made Erwin Palman some recordings of his songs and sent them to Horacio Hoyer on Curaçao. Every friday evening there was a radio program of 15 minutes with Tavio's songs. 'That's the way we'd start bringing Bonaire to the attention of the Curaçao people.
Horacio Hoyer find it terrific and he produced my song Ma Sa Ku Ta Bo (I Knew It Was You). After that Horacio has build the studio Radio Hoyer 3, where now Radio Bon FM is situated. There's so many things tell'. When I called Tavio for my thanksgiving he told me that Horacio Hoyer sent him 25 records to sell. He sold them to Liberty Bar and kept the penny. On the phone he reminded me the lyrics of Desconsolado:

E rench'i oro Ku m'a regalabo No ta kos di papia Pa pueblo hanja sa'

You better Don't talk about The golden ring I gave you

In the city Playa, so as we call it, was also something musical going-on. In those days there was a band called Magnolia. About that told the lady Dulia Dortelina, that her father, Kechi Dorthelina (1907-1993), could play the quarta, gitar and mandoline without having any music lessons on school; 'Maybe that turn for music was a partrimony.of his father who also could make music on the clarinet. With some friends, like Popo Nicolaas, Momon Marchena, Charles Beukenboom en Papachi Nicolaas, he used to play music. This band exists from around the year 1945 to 1965. They played from house to house during the New Year's Parade. In this group played Pa Kechi the quarta, the others on gitar and Papachi Nicolaas blew the flute. They bought their instruments in foreign countries. But Kechi have made with success, although a bit primitive, his own gitars and quartas. He sold them for a small fee to music schools. Even adults were interested in his self made instruments. They sounds pure' Said Du dorthelina.

Around 1951 made Quinteto Bonaire some recordings in the Studio Thomas A. Henrquez on Curaçao on 78 number of revolutions. Mostly of the musicians were Bonairians. In the take of Simadan sounds a violin. It seems that they have tried to add a own style to this folkloric song.
Traditionally, Bonaire still has each year the celebration of Simadan during the harvest time. In the past was on different estates corn crops. The people helped each other from estate to estate and sang the harvest-songs. They ate, drunk and danced and at the end of the day the party burst out. As a symbol of happiness for the new harverst. Besides instruments like gitar, quarta, drums, chapi and wiri has the Karkó (Strombus Gigas/Queen Conch) till now a very important role in that kind of music. It function as a horn to blow. On the beaches of Lac there's mountain of those shells. Through the century they threw away the shells after consuming the flesh inside of it. For the Bonairian is this a delicacy, prepared as stew conch, roasted conch or conserve in vinegar.

Some says it is very good for ones sexual potential.

After been captured by the Dutchmen, the island was a restricted area of the Government (till 1759 a company estate, in 1868 took place the parceling out of the crown land) where private persons on certain conditions were allowed. Such circumstances could be a reason that on special occasions there would be a ball room party. Some house had a large sitting room. It had a function for sure! The houses of Hermanos Herrera (1896) and family Prins-Debrot (1890) had also a large front room. These two are know as Discotheek Paradiso (before Discotheek E Wowo) and the Pasanggrahan buiding. During the term of office (1939-1943) of P.H. van Leeuwen as Mayor of the island, a music kiosk has been build. But there was no brass band and no concerts. So, maybe they used it for other proposes.

The most popular houses were Yato Baco and Cas di Vlijt. Both can be mention in one take of breath. On the estate Yato Bako were frequently dancing parties. They hoisted the flag to announce the parties. The biggest Simadan celebration took place on Yato Baco. In my childhood, around 1965, I've heard about those parties. My mother was a active member of the political party Partido Progresista, leaded by family Beukenboom. Their meeting were on Estate Yato Bako.
The history of Yato Bako seems like a stir that never can be forget.
Because of financial disorders in 1859, the commander of Bonaire had to resign from the office. Behind his resignment was a scandal in the matter of of new building. The authorities on Curaçao sent money to Bonaire for the construction of a new house for the Commander in the Capitol Playa. His son-in-law was also his assistant and superintendent at the same time. He used the money to build a house with 3 floors and 14 rooms near the salt lake with the name Vlijt. After the Commander has resigned, he became the owner of the Estate, while his son-in-law could have the disposal of the house. Later he gave it back to the Government, who sold it during a public sale. Monsieur A. Nouel bought it and hired out the largest room for parties. Cas di Vlijt had a beautiful ball-room. The wall was decorated with vine-leaves made of clay. The parties in Cas di Vlijt were very cosy and they danced Baila Tira Pia till the morning comes. A fantastic violin player, Shon Els alias Els Makaku, was encharged with the animation of the parties with his violin. But Nouel experience the house as too big. He sold it around 1900 to Nene George, a ships captain from Venezuela. Nene Pulled the house down and build Country-House Vlijt, which had 2 front-rooms, a large sitting room, 5 bedrooms, 1 kitchen and dinning-room and a separated barn to do the laundry and storrage. The cistern of Cas di Vlijt has been concerved. It was about 9 yards long, 4,5 yrds widht and 6,5 yrds depht. On the large amount of the land surrounding the country house Nene kept horses, chicken, goats, donkeys, sheeps and gooses. Also in Country House Vlijt were parties. Madam P.V. (Mama Lita) Martinus widow of Dorthalina (1903): ' Our parents organised parties on special occasions. When my oldest sister became 20 they have danced Baile di Sinta (Ribbon Dance). We were 5 brothers and sisters. Our wedding feasts were held in Landhuis Vlijt. In 1961 we have also celebrated the 100th anniversary of Pachi Nene in the Country House. He died with 100 years and 6 month.
Apparently the adventures about Cas di Vlijt were so much remarkable that even the dog of the new owners got the name Vlijt.
It was a very intelligent dog. Ma Lita wrote me, that her mother Jetty could bake cake and bread very delicious. If she was out of flour, she hang a bag on the neck of the dog and ordered Vlijt to go and do the purchase. The dog ran to the grocery, did the shopping and delivered it very nicely at home. Landhuis Vlijt has demolished later on.

Through the years got Bonairean people the reputation to be hard workers. This can have a historical interpretation. After the West Indische Compagnie was bankrupt, a part of the State domain land has been leased around 1867 to the population. Amoung the folk was a aspiration to economic freedom. Some people stayed on the estate, while others got a own ranch or start with fishing. Some moved out to other countries in the Caribbean, for better perspective.
Many Bonaireans could stay closer at home with the comming up of the oil refinery on Curaçao and Aruba. There was enough employment in the petroleum industry. Also in the realm of education was likewise a development. Somewhere in the middle of the nineteenth century the Bonaireans started educating themselves intellectually. The first school raised in 1852. The more the population was emancipated, grew also the need for more education. No doubt that they had a program on the island to fill this need. But for higher education some-one had leave the island. Even the music making Bonairian! In the year 1972 it was still the same and it was my turn. I could choose between to stay or to leave, after finishing the Secondary School. I chosed to continue with my education on Curaçao.