ORANJESTAD — Artist Janiro ‘Ataniro’ Eisden received cultural recognition from Culture Minister Xiomara Maduro (MEP) for having been in the entertainment industry for thirty years. She presented a memento in which she thanked him for his support of Aruban culture and the use of Papiamento.

This happened on Saturday 19 February at Cas di Cultura, where he performed at a memorial concert organized by the Culture Directorate with performances by the Popcorn Club, which also includes the Gang di Arte and Dream Dare Do projects, where youngsters have dedicated the show to Ataniro.

He was born on April 1, 1975, and grew up in San Nicolas. After the MTS, he left for the Netherlands to continue his education at a Regional Training Center (ROC) as a social worker and primary education assistant. In 1991 he took part in a school talent hunt jointly with Dino Dirks. Together they founded the band ‘Basic One’ with which he scored several hits. He produces as many as three to five songs that are played by the local radio stations yearly, and he also performs on neighboring islands. He is one of the first people to rap in Papiamento, which made it popular and part of our culture writes Minister Maduro. Many of his lyrics have become expressions. He is also very proud of “his” district of San Nicolas, where many of his video clips are shot. He also regularly participates in Calypso festivals and Tumba festivals, both in Aruba and Curaçao, where his song was the most popular in 2015.