Haiku in Papiamentu

A parrot always can defend himself saying: "Someone else said it!" Un lora semper por defendé su kurpa ku ta otro di. All birds are aware of their own limitations. Here people fall short. Tur para mes sa kon haltu nan por bula. Tur hende no sa. FLAPS "In this rare translation of Elis Juliana and of the Papiamentu language, Hélène Garrett invites the reader to eavesdrop on "Antilleanness and Caribbeanness" and to hear the collective voice of a people deeply rooted in the colonization, enslavement and emancipation of its speakers." Betty Ratzlaff-Henriquez, author of the English/Papiamentu Dictionary-Papiamentu/Ingles Dikshonario Curaçao writer, sculptor and artist Elis Juliana's poetry blends the intrinsic rhythmic and tonal aspects of the Papiamentu language as he depicts the Afro-Caribbean lifestyles of his people with the traditional form of Japanese haiku. Juliana reveals the vitality of his native language Papiamentu, spoken in Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, with short and swift flashes of intense impressions and potent ideas in his writing. With humor he typifies the character and individuality of the Antillean. Juliana's collection of haiku, translated into English by Hélène Garrett, shows his mastery of the language by reflecting the linguistic, stylistic, rhythmic, and ideological inflections in his work. Curaçao writer, sculptor and artist Elis Juliana's poetry blends the intrinsic rhythmic and tonal aspects of the Papiamentu language as he depicts the Afro-Caribbean lifestyles of his people with the traditional form of Japanese haiku. Juliana reveals the vitality of his native language Papiamentu, spoken in Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, with short and swift flashes of intense impressions and potent ideas in his writing. With humor he typifies the character and…