The Trailblazer Bringing Mediation to Curaçao. Member Spotlight: Carlos Oscario Da Costa Gomez
In 1954, another da Costa Gomez—Moises Frumencio da Costa Gomez—helped advance Curaçao’s self-governance and autonomy on the international stage. Colonized by the Dutch since the 1600s, the Caribbean island of Curaçao has long fought for its independence. Enter the latest Da Costa Gomez making a powerful stand—Carlos Oscario Da Costa Gomez.
Growing up in Curaçao, Carlos had three career dreams: engineering, law, and psychiatry. Now, he has realized all three throughout the course of his interdisciplinary, international, and highly interesting career. Carlos studied in Holland before working as a chemical engineer in the U.S. and the UK. He also consulted on projects in South America before retiring from engineering and returning to Curaçao. Carlos then studied law and found himself drawn towards Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) over more traditional litigation. He has since received a plethora of meditation certificates and dove into the third of his dreams—”understanding how people think and why,” and helping people understand others’ points of view.
Carlos is passionate about not only increasing people’s awareness and knowledge about mediation on the island, but specifically advancing mediation practices in Papiamentu, the local language of Curaçao. Although English, Dutch, and Papiamentu are all official languages, “official” business—including the judicial system and the main mediation organization—is conducted in Dutch. However, like Carlos, many people grew up speaking Papiamentu, a creole language with influences from Dutch and Spanish. “I am fighting to normalize the Papiamentu language,” Carlos says. “One of the biggest advantages of mediation is being able to sit and talk in your own language with other people, without the need for an interpreter.” It is his goal to create a more robust and accessible mediation presence on the island in Papiamentu, so that people can feel comfortable working through complex conflicts in their native language.
On this point, the existing mediation organization in Curaçao has a long way to go. Very few of the members speak Papiamentu, yet over 80% of Curaçao’s population speak it as their first language. It is this critical discrepancy which drives Carlos’s work in conflict navigation for the criminal justice system, restorative justice within communities, and general mediation education. He joined MBBI to be part of a thriving, active organization, all the more important to Carlos as he explains how the “momentum of people” has the power of change. Carlos is only one man, but his passion has the potential to inspire many to take up the mediation effort in Curaçao.
In the legal system, what is said or done in the heat of the moment can be taken at face value. Carlos appreciates that in mediation, a discussion about motivation and emotions may elucidate more complex underlying issues. Sitting down face-to-face lends itself best for both sides benefiting in the end. In court, one side will always come out as the victor. ADR, on the other hand, understands conflict as a misunderstanding. As Carlos explains, if there is a ball with one black side and one white side, two people will see different colors depending on where they stand. Neither person is wrong—they simply have different points of view. It is like Carlos says, “Communication opens the door for resolution.” What’s more, unlike a public court case, mediation is private, a fact which is appreciated in the small communities in Curaçao. There are many benefits to mediation which Carlos appreciates over a more traditional approach to law.
“People sometimes consider me a very black-and-white thinker,” Carlos says. Indeed, he is refreshingly rational. Carlos speaks of a “sanity check” which is necessary not only in engineering, but also in mediation. When someone comes to a conclusion about an experiment or a conflict, he or she needs to take a step back and ask if the conclusion makes sense. This check is a surprisingly simple yet effective way to incorporate logic into decision-making both big and small. In a world that is increasingly quick to escalation and confrontation, Carlos’s “sanity check” strategy is extremely important to keep in mind.
Carlos is open about the difficulties of his work, namely that mediation is voluntary. “You cannot force someone to come to mediation,” Carlos explains. “You can propose and persuade, but you cannot force.” That is why the mediation organization facilitates drop-in sessions where people can come and learn about what mediation is and how it might help them in their everyday lives. Yet some of the vocabulary surrounding mediation does not even exist yet in the Papiamentu language! Carlos is working diligently to make the field accessible for native Papiamentu speakers, but there is still a way to go. Despite the difficulties, with Carlos’s dedication and expertise, Curaçao has a hopeful and more peaceful future ahead.
Article by Elsie Aleck, MBBI Writer