KRALENDIJK – Good news for the elderly on Bonaire! Hòfi Kultural, the cultural meeting place where they can come together to make music and engage in creative activities, will remain open. This is thanks to a hard-fought subsidy increase granted to Fundashon Plataforma Kultural (FPK), the organization behind Hòfi Kultural.

Last summer, FPK, with Hòfi Kultural as its location, made itself heard loud and clear. For months, the elderly performed at various locations, talking to the press and making emotional pleas on social media to keep the activities at Hòfi Kultural going.

During press conferences and speeches in the Island Council, the FPK board drew attention to the financial difficulties faced by the foundation and the cultural sector as a whole on Bonaire.

The good news came recently when the local government (OLB) announced a subsidy increase for FPK. On February 22, the current FPK board president, Marieke Knol, received the Care Contract for 2023 from the Culture Commissioner, Elvis Tjin Asjoe, at SKAL.

With the subsidy secured, the activities for the elderly at Hòfi Kultural are guaranteed for this year. The elderly can come to Hòfi Kultural every week to make music and engage in creative activities, which are of great significance to their well-being. They can paint, make crafts, and, on various days, play music, singing along and playing local instruments such as kuarta, sinfonia, and guitar.

This contributes to preserving Bonaire’s cultural heritage through the use of local instruments and the playing of local old songs.