This thesis focuses on the dynamics of Afro-Curaçaoan social life from 1863 until 1917, with special emphasis on the close relationship between culture and power in daily life. The study explores the ways the formerly enslaved Curaçaoans contested the asymmetric power relations dominated by the colonial state, the former slave-owners and the Roman Catholic Church. In the face of continuing racial, social and economic inequality, Afro-Curaçaoans carved out their own social practices, political and spiritual beliefs. The use of oral history has been central in this study, enabling the author to present and analyze long forgotten or hidden information about the Afro-Curaçaoan community.