Diana Lebacs

(Curaçao, 1947), has Indonesian, European, local, Surinamese and Indian roots. She was a teacher, school leader, trainer and coach for educational innovation and has been writing since she was 23 in Dutch and Papiamentu. On her island Curaçao, besides being known as a writer, she is also known as an actress, storyteller, reciter, dramatist/stage director and she’s also actively involved in stimulating and coaching new local writing talent. She obtained her Bachelor of Education in Papiamentu at the Faculty of Arts of the University of the Netherlands Antilles (UNA), and is currently doing her Master of Education in Papiamentu. She received the Zilveren Griffel for her children’s book Nancho van Bonaire (Leopold, 1976). And in 2003 she was awarded the Culture prize for Youth literature of the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba for Caimins Geheim (Leopold/Stichting NANA, 2001). In 1994 she published her first adult novel: De langste maand (In de Knipscheer, 1994), which shows the jungle of drug addiction and unemployment in Curaçao. Her most recent publications are a picture book in Papiamentu called, Fula fula (2005, publication Rotary Curaçao), ‘Vrouwen aan het woord: Waarover we niet moeten praten’ (2007, In de Knipscheer). Unda Olivier ta / Waar is Olivier?(2009) is her latest children’s book in Papiamentu and Dutch, published by Fundashon Sembra Buki in Curaçao. Currently, Diana is working on her second adult novel.