Sonia Garmers
(Curaçao, 1933) wrote her first children's stories in Papiamentu, Conta Cuenta. In addition to very popular cookery books she also wrote Un makutu yen di cuenta (A Basket Full of Stories). And together with Nydia Ecury and Mila Palm she published the collection of poetry Tres Rosea (Three Laments). Her two booklets (together with Hanny Lim) about Brua (black magic) was and is in great demand. She has also worked as a politicial reporter. In 1976 she published (in Dutch) Lieve Koningin, hierbij stuur ik u mijn dochter (Dear Queen, Hereby I Am Sending You My Daughter). It was a great success both in the Netherlands and on the Antilles. After that the children's book Orkaan (Hurricane) appeared in 1977. At the close of the 1970s she lived in Holland, and wrote short spoken columns for the NCRV-radio programme Rozengeur en Prikkeldraad. In 1980 her next children's book Orkaan en Mayra appeared in 1980, which won her the 1981 Nienke van Hichtum-prize of the Jan Campertstichting in the Hague. In May 1983 Sonia Garmers received the Cola Debrot prize, the highest literary award of the island area of Curaçao. In the collection of short storied Ieder diertje z'n pleziertje (To Every Animal Its Fun) a number of themes from Sonia Garmers' very first children's stories can be found. Wonen in een glimlach (Living in a Smile) was written in 1985.
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Archive available for: Sonia Garmers
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Traditions, taboos, belief and superstition. Writers from the Antilles and Surinam
A man dies. His lover puts a set of used underpants of her in his coffin. That's the custom in Surinam. But how do you do it without arousing the suspicion of his wife? And is this the only pair of underpants? Budding talent Ruth San A Jong wrote stories from Paramaribo like the one about the underpants above. Grande dame Sonia Garmers from Curaçao and Usha Marhé, who lives in the Netherlands, have written about rituals, magic and traditions which are part of daily life in their country. Belief and superstition can defuse fear but also arouse it: what if you don't keep to the accompanying customs? What if you want to break though tradition. The writers, varying in age, discuss this and other questions and read from their work. Noraly Beyer leads the conversation. In Dutch.
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Great Dicatation in Papiamento/u of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Prolongated because of its success in 2006: the public dictation Papiamento/u. Since March 2007 it is the official language on the Dutch Antilles - so high time to test your knowledge. Participants may choose from Papiamentu, spoken on Curaçao and Bonaire, and Papiamento (Aruba). The FPI (Foundation for Language Planning) from Curaçao will provide the text, together with the writer Sonia Garmers, who will dictate it herself. The Papiamento will be dictated by Sidney Kock, press officer of the Aruba House in The Hague. It is just and fair that old-member of the Council of State Gilbert Wawoe and writer Olga Orman, who did the dictation in 2006, will be subjected to this spelling test. Winternachten provides pen and pencil. A professional jury with Quito Nicolaas and Igma van Putte, led by Ronald Severing of the FPI, will judge the dictations and award the winners with a suitable prize. The dicatation is programmed at the start of the evening. Be on time, full is full.
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Krusa Laman - Villa Maria Curaçao
With: Boy Dap, Gabeba Baderoon, Izaline Calister, Jit Narain, Nukila Amal, Ramsey Nasr, Roland Colastica, Sonia Garmers
An evening with storytelling, music and poetry by Gabeba Baderoon from South Africa, Ramsey Nasr from The Netherlands, Jit Narain from Suriname and Nukila Amal from Indonesia. From Curaçao there will be performances of singer/composer Boy Dap, novelists and poets Sonia Garmers and Joseph (Jopi) Hart, novelist Erich Zielinski and the actress and performer Jennifer Martis. The Curaçao/Dutch singer Izaline Calister sings stories put to music from Curaçao and The Netherlands. She will be accompanied by the percussionist Pernell Luciano Saturnino from Curaçao and the Dutch guitarist Edvard Verhoef. Actor and writer Roland Colastica from Curaçao is the MC of this multifacetted literary and musical evening.
