Comunicado - PM

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF TIMOR-LESTE
OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

MEDIA RELEASE

Dili, November 25 2006

31ST Independence Day Events to honor our heroic veterans – and find a path to peace

Finding a path to Peace And Unity is the theme for a program of visual Arts, Music, Dance And Theatre which will continue throughout next week in Dili as the two weeks of Soru-Mutu Ba Dame gets into full swing.

November 28 (Tuesday) is Independence Day and the President of the Republic Xanana Gusmão will be presenting the first Medals of Honor to 250 veterans of the Independence movement at a formal State ceremony to be held in Palco Estadio Municipal (the Stadium) in Dili on Tuesday morning.

The event will run from 7.30 to noon, and will include an official parade observed by the President, the President of the National Parliament Francisco Guterres “Lu Olo”, the Prime Minister Dr José Ramos-Horta, the Council of Ministers, and other members of the National Parliament, the Chief Prosecutor, the Diplomatic Corps and international & national civil society leaders.

This is sure to be one of the most moving ceremonies ever witnessed in Timor-Leste.

Independence Day afternoon and evening will feature Timor-Leste’s top bands, poets and ‘Korematan’ groups (haunting traditional Timorese songs) in Independence Park (behind Motael Church) from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Families are urged to bring their children to Independence Park where there will be free face painting and loads of surprises.

“All the events organised by Hahi Ita Rain (the National Events Office) are free to the public,” said Ego Lemos, the Arts Program Manager, “and we want to ensure that as many people as possible can enjoy their Independence Day in the company of family, friends and neighbours”.

They can also spend time admiring the graffiti artworks scattered throughout the park, all produced by groups from some of Dili’s IDP camps working with Timorese artists.

Traditional arts and crafts from each of the 13 districts will be displayed for sale at the Gymnasium behind the Palacio do Governo from tomorrow (Sunday November 26) through until Tuesday evening. Organised each year by the culture division of the Ministry of Education & Culture, it is a great opportunity to explore and compare the diverse styles of Timorese crafts, as well as being the perfect place for those wanting to buy Christmas gifts for family and friends.

Another highlight of the week will be the screening in Independence Park on Tuesday night of a 30-minute film concerning the issue of veterans of the struggle for Independence.
Sponsored by the World Bank and made by Max Stahl with Jose Belo, it deals with the issues of identifying and defining who was in fact a veteran of the conflict.
The World Bank contributed half a million dollars to establish more than 70,000 names in a series of categories identifying the complex and many times changing institution which was the Timorese Resistance.

The film AFTER THE VICTORY opens a window into the Resistance which won Timor Leste’s Independence. The film combines dramatic archive of the period from the Max Stahl Audiovisual Centre for Timor-Leste, (some never publicly screened until now), with specially shot sequences with the veterans, to show the impact of the past in the present.

The film screening starts at 8 p.m. on Tuesday and all are welcome.