Theresa Evelyne Leuwsha (born 1 November 1967) is a Surinamese Dutch writer.

Biography

Tessa Leuwsha was born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

as a daughter of an

Afro-Surinamese Afro-Surinamese are the inhabitants of Suriname of Sub-Saharan African ancestry. They are descended from enslaved Africans brought to work on sugar plantations. Many of them escaped the plantations and formed independent settlements together, bec ...

father and a

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 ...

mother. She started her career as a ground stewardess for

KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...

. A publisher asked her to write a

travel guide A guide book or travel guide is "a book of information about a place designed for the use of visitors or tourists". It will usually include information about sights, accommodation, restaurants, transportation, and activities. Maps of varying det ...

to Suriname, because the country supposedly had the best

bami Bami may refer to: * Bami, Nepal * alternative spelling of bammy, a flat and round Jamaican bread made of cassava (yuca) that is soaked in milk or water and fried * Bakmi ''Bakmi'' ( jv, ꦧꦏ꧀ꦩꦶ, bakmi) or ''bami'' ( th, บะหม� ...

and

roti Roti (also known as chapati) is a round flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent. It is popular in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, Trinid ...

. The guide which was first published in 1997 as ''Reishandboek Suriname,'' became a success. After many reprints, it has been renamed ''Wereldwijzer Suriname.'' In 1996, she moved to

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

to become a freelance journalist writing for ''

Opzij ''Opzij'' is a mainstream Dutch feminist monthly magazine. The title means "out of the way!"Cas Wouters, "Changes in the 'Lust Balance' of Sex and Love since the Sexual Revolution: The Example of the Netherlands," in History and profile ''Opzij ...

,'' ''

de Volkskrant ''de Volkskrant'' (; ''The People's Paper'') is a Dutch daily morning newspaper. Founded in 1919, it has a nationwide circulation of about 250,000. Formerly a leading centre-left Catholic broadsheet, ''de Volkskrant'' today is a medium-sized c ...

,'' and ''

De Ware Tijd ''De Ware Tijd'' (English: The True Time) is one of four daily newspapers in Paramaribo, Suriname. , it was the largest-circulation paper in the country, ahead of its rival, ''De West'', and was described as taking a "staunchly independent stance" ...

Literair'' among others. In 2005, She made her debut as a literary writer with ''De Parbo-blues,'' a

coming of age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

story with autobiographical elements: a girl from mixed parents leaves for Suriname to discover the history of her father who comforted his

homesickness Homesickness is the distress caused by being away from home.Kerns, Brumariu, Abraham. Kathryn A., Laura E., Michelle M.(2009/04/13). Homesickness at summer camp. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 54. Its cognitive hallmark is preoccupying thoughts of home ...

with music and

marihuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

. ''De Parbo-blues'' was well received, and was nominated for the ''ANV Debutants Award''. Leuwsha started to work for the Dutch Embassy in

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...

, continued her writing career with ''Solo, een liefde'', and contributed to a reprint of

Anton de Kom Cornelis Gerhard Anton de Kom (22 February 1898 – 24 April 1945) was a Surinamese resistance fighter and anti-colonialist author. He was arrested in Suriname and the protest against his arrest resulted in two deaths. De Kom was subsequently ...

's classic ''Wij slaven van Suriname''. In 2018, she wrote and directed ''Frits de Gids,'' a story about lovers caught between the western world and

Maroon Maroon ( US/ UK , Australia ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word ''marron'', or chestnut. "Marron" is also one of the French translations for "brown". According to multiple dictionaries, there are var ...

traditions, which was released by

VPRO The VPRO (stylized vpro; originally an acronym for , ) is a Dutch public broadcaster, which forms a part of the Dutch public broadcasting system. Founded in 1926 as a liberal Protestant broadcasting organization, it gradually became more soc ...

Cinema. In 2020, Leuwsha gave the sixth Cola Debrot Lectures which was pre-recorded and published on YouTube due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In her 2020 novel ''Plantage Wildlust'', Leuwsha did not focus just the known inequalities on a

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

in 1911, but also the subtle rivalry between

freed slaves A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...

and the

Indo-Surinamese Indo-Surinamese, Indian-Surinamese or Hindustani Surinamese are people of Indian origin who are nationals of Suriname with ancestry from India and the wider subcontinent. Their ancestors were Indian indentured workers brought by the Dutch and th ...

contract workers, and the complex hierarchy between the owner and black supervisor. The supervisor being more experienced than the newly arrived owner expected to be in charge of the daily activities, and the owner inevitably resorted to cruelty to put him back in his place. The film rights for ''Plantage Wildlust'' have been bought by Staccato Films and will be turned into a full-length movie. Leuwsha is married with two children.

References

External links

Official site

Tessa Leuwsha at Werkgroep Caraïbische Letteren
(in Dutch) {{DEFAULTSORT:Leuwsha, Tessa 1967 births Dutch women writers Living people Writers from Amsterdam Surinamese women writers