Born in October 1946, he wrote the majority of his work in Tetum. Borja da Costa was executed by Indonesian forces on December 8, 1975, the day after the beginning of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor. The national anthem's composer, Afonso Redentor Araujo, was also executed by the Indonesians 4 years later. Aside from the East Timorese national anthem, his most famous known work may be the poem "Um Minuto de Silêncio" ().