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Activities

Bonaire needs people with open, versatile and strong personalities who will use their talents to advance Bonaire as a whole. To achieve this desirable prospect, Mangazina di Rei especially wants to challenge children, young people, disadvantaged groups and entrepreneurs (including kunukeros) to develop a broader view of society. By means of Bonairean culture (way of life) we are making them enthusiastic about their heritage, music, nature, agriculture, entrepreneurship, recreation and tourism.

“Everyone, large and small, has talent! At Mangazina di Rei you will surely find your place, inspiration, cohesion and the route to a solid future.”CEO TMA international

Photo credit: R. Wout

Talento Kultural

Talento Kultural is a program for children and youngsters who are interested in Bonairean culture. They are coached by various elderly people and professionals who work in the cultural sector.

The children receive music and singing lessons. Every child chooses a krioyo instrument or a dance and together they rehearse songs that match a cultural theme. The four annual themes are Simadan, San Juan i San Pedro, Musika Folkloriko and Pone Barí Ronka. As a conclusion to each theme, the children perform at Nos Zjilea. In this way the typical 'krioyo' way of playing Bonairean music is conveyed to our youth, which prevents it from being lost.

Besides learning to play a krioyo instrument or a typical Bonairean dance, the children also learn other skills, such as presenting themselves, working together and self-discipline. They feel proud of their achievements and this builds their self-esteem and self-confidence. By participating in this program, children have a chance to discover their talents and they are given the opportunity to put them to use during the program and the presentations.

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for Talento Kultural? Donate

“From an early age on I knew I had musical talent and at Mangazina di Rei I was able to develop it further. In addition I learned a lot of other things, such as working together with others, making decisions, respect for the elderly and self-discipline. I also had the opportunity to participate in a film project during my time at Mangazina di Rei. This has fired my desire to take a course to become an actor or director myself. If all goes well, I will start my studies next year!”Rogen Pineda Mateo
Participant Talento Kultural

“Great work! Keep it up so that our children can continue to develop their talents. They are the future of Bonaire.”Parent Talento Kultural Participant

Photo credit: J. Morgan - Bon Reporter

Photo credit: R. Wout

Nos Zjilea

Every last Saturday of the month, Mangazina di Rei organizes a cultural educational event called Nos Zjilea. At 'Nos Zjilea' local residents and tourists get together and enjoy Bonairean culture. Talento Kultural has the opportunity to perform at this event and to show the audience what they can do. They are often supported by well-known Bonairean bands, such as “Tutti Frutti”.

Photo credit: H. Quartel, Fundashon Mangazina di Rei

Educational programs for schools

Mangazina di Rei offers educational programs for schools. During these programs we introduce school children to various cultural aspects. They receive a tour of our exhibition and they take a music workshop or bake their own “repa”. They are also asked to complete an assignment, which helps the experience they were offered to take root.

Schools perceive our educational programs to be well-organized, educational and child-oriented. Teachers feel that students’ participation is very good and that the programs are in line with their level of knowledge and with what the students are able to relate to.

Would you like your class to participate in an educational program at Mangazina di Rei? Donate

“The miscellaneous workshops that last a maximum of 10 minutes are just right for the children, so that they remain focused and involved in the material. The workshops are also very interactive.”Teacher Kolegio Kristo Bon Wardador

“The educational program was very diverse and included various kinds of activities such as listening, making music and exercise games.”Teacher Kolegio Rayo di Solo

Photo credit: H. Quartel, Fundashon Mangazina di Rei

Internship opportunities

Mangazina di Rei is recognized as a training company by ROA CN (Labor Market Educational Council of the Caribbean Netherlands) and we offer internship opportunities to students in secondary (MBO) and higher vocational education (HBO) from Bonaire and the Netherlands. As a recognized training company, we coach students in a responsible manner during their practical internship and we help them to develop competences.

We offer various internships in positions and areas such as: tour guide, musical entertainer, educational employee, group worker, receptionist, hospitality sector, sales employee, event organization, marketing, public greenery and maintenance worker. In this way we are bringing in expertise and the students have a place to gain experience and practice what they have learned at school.

Internship Examples

  • Writing a business plan – student Business Administration
  • Developing educational material - student Cultural Social Education
  • Developing teaching materials about heritage - student Heritage
  • Creating a plan for a cultural event - student Event Organization
  • Developing an App for the park - student Geo, Media and Design
  • Design outdoor space at Mangazina di Rei - student Landscape Design
  • Developing a module for new employee orientation - student Educational Sciences
  • Developing tools for work place training - student Social Pedagogy
  • Conduct research on the reasons for visiting the park - student Applied Mathematics
Would you like to do an internship at Mangazina di Rei?

“At Mangazina di Rei there is a pleasant working atmosphere and a team that knows how to work together and has solid plans for the future. Every employee is involved in the plans and decisions and so they put their hearts and souls into their work for the cultural park. It was also fun to work with the disadvantaged groups and to see that everyone can achieve something concrete and contribute to society at their own level.” Mariangela Oleana
Fourth-year student Business Economics at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences
April-September 2013

“I have great appreciation for Mangazina di Rei’s management. Despite the limitations Bonaire has to deal with, they are one hundred and fifty percent committed to taking Mangazina di Rei Culture Park to a higher level. The perseverance, determination, creativity and especially the pleasure with which they try to achieve this goal has led me to admire this project greatly. In addition to that, they have managed to inspire and motivate me to pursue my goals and to realize my dreams.”Luc van Rossum
Third-year student Landscape Design at the Higher Agricultural School
in Den Bosch - January-April 2014

“I am a Dutch student and was able to see what working in a different culture is like. I was given a lot of leeway to conduct my own research and develop an educational program. The Kingdom Representative had invited all pupils in grade 6 to visit the new exhibition at Mangazina di Rei. A plan of action was needed for this event and I took the initiative to design it in collaboration with my internship supervisor. We welcomed more than 200 pupils and they all reacted with great enthusiasm. I would like to thank all Mangazina di Rei colleagues for their guidance during my internship.”Marieke van der Eerden
Third-year student Cultural Social Education at the HAN University of Applied Sciences
February-July 2016

Photo credit: H. Quartel, Fundashon Mangazina di Rei

Volunteers

We have various volunteers who help us with activities, promotion and teaching children and young people. We are in the process of designing an attractive volunteer policy with accompanying manuals and training courses.

Would you like to contribute as a volunteer?

Photo credit: H. Quartel, Fundashon Mangazina di Rei

Seniors

Mangazina di Rei is always eager to work together with senior citizens who want to offer their knowledge and experience. These seniors like to share their knowledge about the past to help save their wealth of information from being lost. In addition, the information they share is very instructive for future generations since a lot of historical wisdom is based on a very respectful interaction with each other and with nature.

Would you like to share your knowledge with younger generations?