The Golden Coach and the history it represents affect everyone, according to Naomie Pieter. She developed a ritual performance in which the public can participate, in order to strengthen their connection with the Golden Coach and its history. Pieter hopes to give the ancestors of the oppressed peace, and the descendants growth and reparation. The performance’s title, Ayo No, Te Un Otro Biaha, refers to this. According to a Curaçaoan myth, it was the farewell of enslaved people who then jumped from a cliff called Bulabanda to escape their brutal existence under slavery. By doing so, they would spontaneously be given wings to return home. Not goodbye, but see you again.

Accompanied by musician Vernon Chatlein, Pieter takes visitors along in her performance in the courtyard where the Golden Coach is standing. In the music, dance, and symbolic objects we recognize elements from Afro-Caribbean cultures and references to the Tribute from the Colonies panel. Gold, a symbol of colonialism and inequality in the coach, has been broken up by Pieter and incorporated into shell-shaped candles that are distributed among the participants, becoming a symbol of reparations. The cowrie shells represent currency and spiritual values such as protection and prosperity. Burning the candles offers a moment of contemplation, transformation, and deference.

This work has been realized with thanks to Vernon Chatlein, Daniel Bislik, and the Zikinzá Collection. The performances will take place in November 2021. See goudenkoets.nl for information on how to participate.