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Olga Orman (9 November 1943 – 7 March 2021) was a Dutch-Aruban writer, poet and storyteller. She wrote both in
Papiamento Papiamento () or Papiamentu (; nl, Papiaments) is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), with official status in Arub ...
and
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
. Orman introduced ''
kamishibai is a form of Japanese street theater and storytelling that was popular during the Great Depression of the 1930s and the post-war period in Japan until the advent of television during the mid-20th century. were performed by a (" narrator") w ...
'', a Japanese form of storytelling, to the Netherlands and the ABC islands.


Biography

Orman was born on 9 November 1943 in Noord,
Aruba Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of P ...
. At the age of 14, she left for the Netherlands. She received her teaching degree in
Etten-Leur Etten-Leur () is a municipality in the Dutch province North Brabant. Its name is a combination of the two villages from which the municipality originally acrose: Etten and Leur. History The villages were always part of one municipality, originally ...
, and worked as an elementary school teacher in
Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coa ...
for five years. Orman returned to the Netherlands, and started to teach in Amsterdam
Bijlmermeer The Bijlmermeer (), or colloquially Bijlmer (), is one of the neighbourhoods that form the Amsterdam-Zuidoost borough (Dutch: ''stadsdeel'') of Amsterdam, Netherlands. To many people, the Bijlmer designation is used to refer to Amsterdam Zuidoost ...
, a multi-cultural high-rise neighbourhood from the 1970s. In 1994, Orman made her debut as a children's book writer with ''E biaha largo pa djeipei/De lange reis van hier tot om de hoek''. She became known for two
picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...
s about the spider
Anansi Anansi ( ; literally translates to ''spider'') is an Akan folktale character and the Akan God of Stories, Wisdom, Knowledge, and possibly creation. The form of a spider is the most common depiction of Anansi. He is also, sometimes considered t ...
. Omar started to write poetry for herself in the 1980s, and is best known for the 2014 poetry collection ''Cas di biento / Doorwaaiwoning''. As a teacher, Orman became aware of the frustration of children trying to express themselves in an unfamiliar language. She remembered that the oral tradition is still alive in Aruba, therefore, she started to introduce ''
kamishibai is a form of Japanese street theater and storytelling that was popular during the Great Depression of the 1930s and the post-war period in Japan until the advent of television during the mid-20th century. were performed by a (" narrator") w ...
'', a Japanese form of storytelling with a miniature theatre, to the classroom. In the Netherlands, ''
Kinderboekenweek In the Netherlands, the Boekenweek (; English: Book Week) is an annual "week" of ten days dedicated to Dutch literature. It has been held in March annually since 1932. Each Boekenweek has a theme. The beginning of the Boekenweek is marked by the ...
'', a week dedicated to children's books, is organised since 1955. Orman wanted to introduce the concept to the ABC islands, and in 2001, she was one of the founding members of ', a cultural organisation dedicated to promoting literature of the ABC islands. In 2004, Orman was knighted in the
Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...
. Orman died on 7 March 2021 in Amsterdam, at the age of 77.


References


External links


2015 Aruban Kinderboekenweek picture book
Translated by Olga Orman. (Free download courtesy of National Library of Aruba) {{DEFAULTSORT:Orman, Olga 1943 births 2021 deaths Dutch educators Dutch women educators Dutch women writers Dutch poets Dutch women poets Aruban women writers Aruban writers Aruban poets Aruban women poets Aruban children's writers Women children's writers Papiamento-language writers People from Noord Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau