Elis Juliana

Who is Elis Juliana?

Elis Juliana was born on Curaçao on 8 August 1927 and grew up in the Nieuw-Nederland neighborhood of Willemstad in a family of modest means. He became one of the island's most versatile cultural figures, working across poetry, prose, painting, sculpture, anthropology, archaeology, and ethnomusicology, and is remembered alongside Pierre Lauffer and Luis Daal as one of the "big three" poets of Papiamentu literature. His writing, especially his rhythmic poems in the style of the tumba, combined simple everyday language with deep emotional and philosophical observation drawn from close attention to ordinary island life. From 1959 he worked for decades at the Bureau of Judicial Youth Care while pursuing folklore and archaeological research on the side, and his fascination with old Curaçaoan musical instruments and cultural objects led him to found the Fundashon Zikinzá, whose collection is preserved at the Central Historical Archives in Willemstad. He held his first solo art exhibition in 1965 and represented Curaçao at international exhibitions with his paintings and sculptures, receiving the Cola Debrot Prize for visual art in 1973. Days before his death, on 18 June 2013, the University of Curaçao awarded him an honorary doctorate for his lifetime of contributions to the island's culture; he died on 23 June 2013 at the age of eighty-five.

Sources: Wikipedia (Dutch), "Elis Juliana" · Curaçao History, "1965 | Elis Juliana Curaçao cultural icon" · Kòrsou Ta Dushi, "Elis Juliana: The Great Cultural Icon"