Boy Ecury, her brother, had joined the Dutch resistance fighters, and was executed by the Germans during World War II; he became Aruba's national hero.
She taught at Martines Mavo High School and the Nilda Pinto Huishoudschool, while simultaneously giving private lessons in Papiamentu, the most commonly spoken creole language of the Dutch Caribbean.
[3] Ecury's interest in promoting Papiamentu led her, after World War II, to act in plays and translate the works of renowned authors into a language with which local audiences could understand.
[1] Other noted works she produced included Bos di sanger, Kantika pa mama tera, Na mi kurason mará and Sekura.
[6] In 1980, she staged a one-woman show, Luna di Papel (Paper Moon), which combined her poetry with impersonations, stand-up comedy and singing, accompanied by the Salsbach Jazz Trio.
[6] In 1986, she played Mama Grandi[1] in the film Almacita di desolato, under the direction of Felix de Rooy, which would be recognized in 1991 with the FESPACO Paul Robeson Prize.
In October 2013, a compilation of her works written in Papiamentu and translated by Ecury into Dutch, Een droom die ik heb was published by Knipscheer Press.