Kontakto

The history in short.
The producer of Kontakto TV, Chacho de Castro, made a promise in late 1981 to his then very young 3 children of his first wife, Scorpio, Fausto and Marco-J, that he will do his best to ensure that a Chimpanzee they saw in the local zoo in Curacao, isolated from the sight of the public in a cage three times the size of the chimp, would get a better living condition. What started out as apromise to be kept to his children ended up being the first edition "Kontakto" TV-Program.
The investigations carried out by Chacho to release the chimp brought out so many facts about the Curacao Board of Animal care Foundation , that chacho asked for the resignation by the Board.
The board resigned and Chacho intalled a new board on the same day that consisted of real animal lovers. The first step was crucial to the further succes of the program, but what followed not proved the right of existence of the program butr also exeeded Chacho's own expectancies.The following subject shocked tohe community with greater impact. The Cuban Coffe Caper. 1984.Two Antillean Businessmen who were doing business with Cuba were imprisoned by the Cuban Authorities, accused and found guilty in Cuban Courts of selling Ghost Coffee to the Cubans for $8 Million. The editions of Kontakto that reported the investigations and findings by the producer gave the program an appart status and merited an award by Telecuracao as best produced TV Program of that year (1994). The 'Divi-divi Award'.

The list of programs in the beginning that caught the eye of the Antullean Community quickly grew to contain subjects like:
Animal Care 1883
Freedom of the press 1983
Death and Euthanasia 1984
In later years the rate of succes grew even more to include programs like:
*. Drugaddiction, "House of the Devil" The first ever investagative report on TV on the extremities of Drug Addiction in The Curacao Community.

*. The beginning or the end of desesperation?: "Live within the prison walls'. The first ever investagative report on TV on the life within the main Prison of The Antilles at Korral Specht.

*. "Trow-away People" The subhuman drugaddicted live of People living on the main garbage dump site of Curacao..

*. "The face of Aids" the first aids face on the screens of the Antilles. Gerald Weigle since died, but through the intervention of viewers of the program "Kontakto" his deathwish was realized. His youngest son who was at the time living in Holland with his Mother got to visit and see his dying father (The father had no finsanses).

*. Kontakto soon became a National TV-program with the first follow-up live Radio program of two hrs duration broadcasting throughout the Netherlands Antilles.
Kontakto continued to capture the attentionof the Antillean Community with subjects like:
1. The truth about "Religion, The concepts of God"
This subject was one of the producers favorite and caught the total attention of the viewers, generated much feedback, and was cause for the program to be prolonged to a couple of programs.

*. Crime, The end of Hope?
This series of programs revealed the true nature of the underworld. Unveiling the mask of of the enemy. Vandalism against our schoolbuildings, Robbery and Assausts on our homes and business and citizens. The series presented for the first ever on Antillean Television an encounter with the criminals on the street and their way of life.

*. Sexuality.
A couple of series on this subject over the years included from Teenage Pregnancy to Prostitution to Homosexualtiy lessons in School, this last series of Kontakto after the serious declatration of a class of students accusing a teacher of promoting Homosexuality in their class. AS a result of the program the Prioducer was treatened with a suit by the board of "Pride", the organization of Homosexuals on the Island.
This never got follow-up by the organization.

*. Teenage pregnancy and Child Abuse
In this next subject Chacho presented a confrontation between himself and a parent (Father), that wanted $1500.= for his statements. A recorded conversation with an abusive (parent) man, who was accused by his stepdaughter of sexual molestations since her 9th birthday up to her 15th birhthday.

Politics, Tourism, Economics and Finanses, Youth, Education, Antillean Television and were not left out during the years of Kontakto.

Chacho de Castro's latest subject. 1999.
Poverty: The outcry for help.

*. This last latest series of Kontakto consisted of 4 programs that really showed the hidden truth about the welfare of the people.
These programs not just on their own but with the reaction and outburst of emotions by the viewers brought help to a great families that had no other way of getting this help. Not withstanding an law that m,andates that children betwwen the ages of 6 and 16 be in school, the amounbt of children at home proved to inmense. This mrror put ionfromt of the community by the producer caused attention by the Isladn and Central Government, the social institutes and the public in gfeneral that pured out hel for the childeren and their family.
this series also showed the cry of the eldeerly for help.

*. Elders in distress (*The very last Series of Kontakto.)
This series brought the plight of the elders without care. the ral situation of the elderly in our community. Again the real heart of the people was seen in the help offered through these series to the elders peresented in these programs.

A very succesful series of Kontakto.
Being the Internmational year of elders, these programs rteally brought attention to this sector of ourt community. As a result De Castro was contacted by the local chapter of U.N. Commision 1999 that was called to live to propagate this year as the year of the elder. the producer is now in the nmiddle of a new series with this commision.