BAI CU DIOS MI YIU
Part Memory, Part Tribute, Part Love Letter to the Future…
A memoir by Ayra A. Kip
“We were rich in fruit, Patia, Tamarijn, Papaya, Guyaba, Chimaruku, Sorsaka, Kenepa, Makapruim, Cashuw, Mispel, Druif, Lamunchi. The land gave us what we needed, and we made the most of it.”— Bai Cu Dios Mi Yu, Chapter - Funchi for Fortitude
Cover designed by Hanna Barcyk
Bai Cu Dios Mi Yiu (Go with god my child) is a memoir and intimate collection of essays that emerged from a mother's desire to preserve and transmit an inheritance to her daughter.
Ayra A. Kip does this by tracing the people, places, and experiences that shaped her understanding of herself and explores what it means to belong to a family, to a culture, to (a) people. Moving through themes such as motherhood, love and loss, beloning, family heritage and ancestry, the book becomes a compass of stories and reflections. Writing for her daughter as the recipient, she passes on a record of lessons learned, questions explored and memories carried forward. More than a collection of stories, the book stands as a source of grounding, understanding, and guidance for the life her daughter has yet to live.
Bai Cu Dios Mi Yu will be released in English and Papiamento.
“When a Dutchman asked Sjors where he was sending his daughter off to, he replied, “she’s going to her cousins in Bijlmermeer. The man looked at him with concern and said, “you wouldn’t send your daughter to Bijlmermeer… Sir, It’s a dangerous place.”— Bai Cu Dios Mi Yiu, Chapter - Mama ‘she’ made it
Ayra A. Kip - Creative Entrepreneur, Cultural Curator, award-winning fundraiser and now Author.
Ayra's work sits at the intersection of art, heritage, and social impact. As co-founder and Artistic Director of KIP Republic, the creative agency she launched in 2018 with her twin sister, Ayra develops and curates projects that bring cultural heritage to life. Rooted in the richness and multiculturalism of Afro-Caribbean histories and identities, her work expands artistic possibilities that creates space for innovation and growth.
Her expertise spans creative strategy, copywriting, marketing and fundraising. The latter she developed through the groundbreaking Art Rules (2010–2018), an arts program widely recognised as the largest artistic educational initiative in the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba and Curaçao). Under Ayra’s leadership, the program not only transformed local access to a diversity in arts education but also created the opportunity for over a thousand local creatives to engage with global educators and artists. Her hard work and lobby also significantly increased investment in the cultural industry, strengthening both the funding landscape and the islands’ mindset in Philanthropy.
In 2023, Ayra completed a post-academic study in Philanthropy at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, further expanding her knowledge in Philanthropy as a drive for cultural innovation, sustainable impact and commercial success. Ayra now shares her expertise with the next generation of cultural leaders, as a lecturer in fundraising at DAS Arts (Amsterdam University of the Arts).
At KIP Republic, Ayra conceived, developed, and produced numerous cultural initiatives. From exhibitions, to theater and dance productions, short films and since 2020 Free Heri Heri For All, the most visible and influential initiatives during Keti Koti. Completely transforming July 1st as a commemoration, FHHFA has become a collective cultural moment in the Netherlands and a successful KIP Republic franchise. Building on this work, Ayra also created and produced Cooked History (Gekookte Geschiedenis), a podcast exploring diaspora culinary heritage, traditions and food-ways.
Ayra's contributions to arts, culture, and creative entrepreneurship have been recognised through numerous awards and nominations. She is the recipient of the OCAN Arts & Culture Prize, the Vereniging Antilliaans Netwerk Spotlight Award, and nominee for both the Black Achievement Awards for Best Entrepreneurs, Code Cultural Diversity Award for best project for Free Heri Heri for All, and Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year. In 2025 KIP Republic’s Dance Production Corpus Criolla (Faizah Grootens) produced by Ayra was inducted into the Allard Pearson special collections of the University of Amsterdam.
A graduate of journalism and an avid lover of literature, Ayra has dedicated her career to the power of storytelling in its many forms. This commitment led her to establish an independent publishing house committed to building infrastructure for Black literary creators who wish to transform bold ideas or stories into published works.
With Bai Cu Dios Mi Yiu, Ayra steps into the role of author, publishing her own work under her Waldemar Press imprint for the first time. The book marks a new chapter in her journey as a storyteller, publisher, and cultural producer.