Carnival has certain fixed characters and activities: Momo (the Carnival king or Carnival spirit), Prince and Pancho (the prince and the clown), Carnival queen and princesses, the king or queen of Caiso, Soca and Tumba contest. The Prince and Pancho are chosen as the best jokers, and are awarded the keys to the island for the duration of Carnival season.
The Prince’s main task is to present the Queen to her people upon her election and be her companion in all her activities. The Prime Minister opens the reign of the royal court when she hands the keys to the island to the Prince. Pancho is the personal assistant and best friend of the prince. He is more a jokester, entertaining with his wit and jokes as he accompanies the Prince in all his royal duties. The duo is chosen for their comedy, personality, and popularity.
Each Queen has her own Prince and Pancho, thus there is a pair for each of Children, Youth, Adult and Senior.
Arnold Malmberg and Jayven Jansen were crowned Children Prince and Pancho for Aruba’s 70th Carnival.
The preparations to take part in Carnival started last year, but due to various factors back then, the decision was made to spend more time preparing and come stronger to enter the Carnival vibes that are in full-swing.
They competed representing Don Flip Carnival Group, and called themselves “Prince Caya Pidi and Pancho Caya Haya”, a play on words for “the streets ask, and the streets receive.”
Dancing to every song that they listen to and participating in Carnival is what they love the most, according to Arnold’s mother, Tamara Malmberg, who spoke to our reporter when the pair was receiving their prizes.
Arnold says that he loves feeling the Carnival music, which “is very nice indeed when I dance,” and Jayven loves Carnival so much that he has already told his mother that he wants to also participate in the Tumba contest next year.
Their story is that their families got together to talk, put everything together, and agreed to support the children when they made their own decision to participate. When Carnival began they sat back, friends close to home helped prepare the kids, and here they thank Ryan Rodgers who is the “motor” and the person who prepared Arnold and Jayven for their show.
“They are well prepared, they are smart. They love these crazy things, which means it will be very easy for them. And thus we managed to let the participate and they won the main prize of Children Prince and Pancho for Carnival 70,” Jayven’s mother, Heleeny Jansen commented.
Arnold goes to school at Montessori Nos Fortalesa and Jayven at Colegio San Jose Aruba. They are friends, despite the fact that they attend different schools, as their chemistry helped them seal a good deal. “That was easy, they get along well, and they play a lot together. They love acting, they are not afraid of anything. Carnival dancing is something they enjoy. Every year they go to Carnival. Last year they went also with Don Flip, and both won prizes as well. They are not afraid to show themselves, talk or get on stage so it was very easy. For sure we will continue the tradition of Carnival in the following years,” Heleeny Jansen said.
Among the prizes that they have won in the past, last year Jayven won in the category of Luxory Bodypiece with “Speed Racer” with Don Flip Carnival Group, together with his sister Zoey Jansen who went as “Lego Pricness.”
Jayven had a message for other children who want to participate in Carnival in the coming years: “Work a lot on this process because it takes a lot of work. You have to train a lot, but you will succeed!”
Arnold added: “Children, always remember to enjoy Carnival which has an enjoyable atmosphere!”
