Around Timor-Leste... About Timor-Leste... Around and About Timor-Leste
This blog has as its main focus events in Timor-Leste but also any news of relevance to Timor-Leste. Other topics of interest are tourism, conservation, wildlife, offbeat stories and anything else I like
the look of. In this blog I will make no effort to cover daily news, politics, worthy-but-dull stories
or anything that I don't find appealing for my own reasons.
A framed Timor-Leste flag autographed by the Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao fetched AU$3,400 at a charity auction and fundraising dinner for the Alola Foundation in Darwin on October 29th.
Mr Gusmao’s wife and Chair of the Alola Foundation, Kirsty Sword Gusmao, was the guest of honour at the dinner, which was also attended by the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Mr Paul Henderson, and many leading figures in the Darwin business community.
Sponsors for the event – which was held at the Timor Chinese Association Club - included the Northern Territory Government, Airnorth, Carlton United Breweries, Metcash, Darwin Airport Resort, Nivagi Homewares and the Jape Group.
The charity auction was conducted by Mr David Ley from Professionals Real Estate, who ensured that top prices were reached for all of the lots offered, including a pair of tickets to the Chief Minister’s Marquee at the V8 Supercars Sunday race day, a signed copy of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and books authored and autographed by Xanana Gusmao and Kirsty Sword Gusmao.
Alola Foundation CEO Teresa Verdial made a presentation about the organisation, which works with Timorese women and their communities toward the fulfilment of their social, economic, political and cultural aspirations. Guests were also entertained by a Timorese traditional dance group based in Darwin.
“I am grateful to the Jape Group for organising this fundraiser, which exceeded all expectations”, Sword Gusmao commented after the dinner, “I am so grateful for the generosity of all who supported the event and I assure you that the funds raised will be put to good use in strengthening the Alola Foundation’s programmes”.
Taste of Timor Lesté is coming to the Sunset Fair! The owners previously operated at the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets and also own Café Timor Leste in Darwin. Their aim in returning to Timor Lesté is to introduce visitors to the true tastes of their nearest neighbour. The cuisine is a fusion of Eastern and Western flavours as it contains both Oriental ingredients and flavours of Timor Lesté and the European flavours of Portugal. The owner, Hernany Lopes, originally from Suai, has many years experience cooking in Australia and is happy to be home.
Traditional dishes include: Batar Daan (vegetarian dish of mungbeans, eggplant, corn, kangkong & pumpkin shoots); Caril (capsicum based coconut curry); Ikan Sabuko (spanish mackerel with tamarind, capsicum and basil); Sutate (pork ribs in tamarind, palm sugar and soy sauce); Chilli Beef (beef in sambal olek, with kaffir lime leaves & lemongrass); Feijoada (borlotti beans, chorizo and smoked pork stew).
After-Fair Party at the Caz Bar! The Caz Bar has already signed up for the Sunset Fair to serve their famous grilled prawns, hotdogs and nachos from their stall at Kristu Rei (5pm-10pm). They will also be hosting an After-Fair party on the night of the Grand opening, September 11th, from 10pm till late, with DJ Luis. All are welcome!
Sunset Fair organizers have announced that Timorese recording artist and songwriter Boy Clemens will be performing at the launch of the event in Dili, Timor-Leste on September 11th, 2010. Paulus Boy Ratamila Clemens, aka Boy Clemens, was born in Kupang, Dec 16th, 1968. His mother is Timorese, although she lost contact with her family in the strife of Timor-Leste’s struggle for independence. Boy Clemens said that he started to love music as a child. He was already playing in bands when he was at junior and high school. As a college student, he started to perform in cafes in Jakarta and sang regularly at church; this led to him joining an “a capella” group, Talenta. His key influences are black music and jazz. Boy Clemens’ big break came when he met renowned Indonesian composer Erwin Gutawa, who asked him to sing backing vocals with his orchestra, which helped him to develop his distinctive voice and musicality, as well to gain experience of working across a wide range of different genres. Appearances on Indonesian television soon followed and Boy Clemens started to write his own material. The result was his debut album, “Forca de Amor”, which he composed, arranged, mastered, produced and distributed himself, without the support of a record label. The spirit behind “Forca de Amor” is Boy Clemens’ pride in his Timorese heritage: “I want to tell the world that Timor-Leste has a beautiful cultural tradition” he explained. The songs on the album span a variety of musical styles, with lyrics in Tetum (an indigenous Timorese language) and themes touching on peace and reconciliation, love of nature and the country’s stunningly beautiful landscapes. Overall, the sound of Boy Clemens is melodic and laid-back, perfect for easy listening as you watch the sun go down after a day at the beach. This is why the track “Areia Branca” (White Sands) has been selected as the anthem for the Sunset Fair, a weekly event in Dili featuring entertainment, food and local handicraft stalls, which is being launched on September 11th - on the Dili beach that inspired the song. “I made that song to remind people that the beauty of the ocean belongs to them. But I had never seen the beach when I wrote the song – I had only heard stories from the people how beautiful it is. The song is supposed to call people around the world to see that Timor-Leste also has a beach that is just as beautiful – if not more – than beaches in Bali or elsewhere”. Now Boy Clemens will be travelling to Timor-Leste to participate in the concert for Sunset Fair launch: “Who could have imagined that I would be performing my music in that very place?” he said, laughing, “I’m so excited. It feels so good. It must be my destiny”.
Boy Clemens’ album, “Forca de Amor” will be on sale at the Sunset Fair. For further information, email boyclemens@yahoo.com or call +670-7234715. Listen to "Areia Branca" here
National Director of Tourism Jose Quintas announced on Thursday (August 9th) that the Ministry of Tourism, Commerce and Industry is organizing a weekly Sunset Fair to be held every evening throughout the dry season at Kristu Rei beach.The eventlaunch on Saturday, September 11th, 2010, will feature Timorese and international entertainers, food stalls serving dishes from all over the world and a market for local handicrafts.Guests at the launch – which is open to the public - will include several hundred Tour de Timor participants, members of the diplomatic community and government officials.
The inspiration for the Dili Sunset Fair was drawn from a recent visit to the highly successful Mindil Beach Markets in Darwin by the Minister of Tourism, Commerce and Industry, Mr Gil Alves, who was impressed with the range of local and international products on sale and the large numbers of visitors to the event, which has become one of Darwin’s leading tourism attractions and a major contributor to the economy of the Northern Territory.
“I thought to myself, ‘we could do something like this in Dili’. We have the products, we have the location, we have the talent and we are keen to expand the range of experiences that Timor-Leste can offer to tourists, as well as the market for our local handicrafts”, Alves said.
The Sunset Fair location at Kristu Rei has recently been renovated by the Timor-Leste Ministry of Tourism, Commerce and Industry.
“This is a fantastic use of this purpose-built tourism facility,” Quintas said, “There is a performance arena, plenty of parking and space for up to 50 stalls. It is right beside one of our country’s most beautiful white sand beaches, with spectacular views of the sunset and it is surrounded by a nature reserve.I am sure that the Sunset Fair will be a great addition to our night life in Dili and will be popular with both foreign and local tourists, especially families”.
The Mindil Beach Sunset Market Association Incwill be signing a Memorandum of Understanding with theDirectorate of Tourism, to share their expertise with their Timorese counterparts in launching and developing the Sunset Fair.MBSMA General Manager, Kylie McCourt, who paid a visit to to Dili recently to discuss the agreement,said that the technical support being offered tothe Sunset Fair organisers would extend to advice, training, cross-promotion and regular exchanges of traders and entertainers between the two events.
“I believe that Mindil Markets’ relationship with the Sunset Fair will be a two-way street,” McCourt said, “One of our aims is to promote the sharing of cultural community and we are looking forward to developing long-term ties with our friends in Dili, so that we can learn more about what Timor-Leste has to offer in terms of products and cultural experiences, to the benefit of both parties. We would love to see some Timorese traders and visitors over here at Mindil”.
A delegation from the MBSMA will be travelling to Timor-Leste to participate in the September 11th inauguration of the Sunset Fair, which is expected to run every Wednesday evening throughout the dry season, from October 6th until December 15th 2010.
Sunset Fair will be offering a wide range of local and international culinary specialities as well as traditional weavings, carvings and other typical local handicrafts and products.Timorese entertainers will include Boy Clemens, who recently recorded a song about the Sunset Fair beach, entitled “Areia Branca”, which he will be performing at the opening event. His album, “Forca de Amor” will also be on sale. The Sunset Fair will allocate a proportion of its stalls to international traders, as it aims to offer a multi-cultural experience to visitors and to extend the creativity of Timorese business in developing new products.
As space at the Kristu Rei is limited, businesses wishing to participate in the Sunset Fair will be chosen according to strict criteria designed to promote the project’s core values of Diversity, Creativity and Quality.One of the reasons for the success of the Mindil Markets is that no two stalls can offer exactly the same merchandise or dishes, a rule that will also be applied to the Sunset Fair in Dili.
“My advice for Sunset Fair participants is to specialize: select your best products, focus on them and do not attempt to sell the whole range of items available in your main business. In this way, the Sunset Fair will serve as a “shop window” to promote your company’s activity and increase day-to-day trade,“ Quintas explained. In the case of National traders, precedence will be given to those offering items produced from Timorese materials, using Timorese labour and representing Timorese culture. A limited number of spaces will be allocated to international traders offering products not available in Timor-Leste, especially innovative or technological items or hand-crafted merchandise reflecting the creativity and culture of the producer (fashion, art, jewellery, etc.).Any stall – National or International - offering products suitable for children will be favoured in the selection process.
The Sunset Fair will also offer a regular opportunity to Timorese entertainers to gain experience in performing in public and to promote their music. They will be allowed to sell their CDs at the event.“We encourage all performers who are seeking an audience to register their interest with us so that we can draw up a schedule of entertainers to last the whole Sunset Fair season,” said Quintas, “This is also a chance for youth and church groups to get valuable exposure and to raise funds for charity”.
Applicants must submit their requests to Mr Antonio Da Silva, tel: 7410185 or go directly to the National Directorate of Tourism, Rua Dom Aleixo Corte-Real, Fomento, Mandarin. The deadline for application for the October 6-December 15, 2010 Sunset Fair season is: Tuesday, September 14th. Applications received after this date may be put on a waiting list.
Participants must commit to operating their stall every Wednesday evening from 5pm-10pm for the full market season. The government will provide electricity, water and a basic stall structure to participants, but they must supply any other equipment they need, such as tables and extra lighting, themselves.Stalls at the September 11th Sunset Fair Inauguration event are free of charge, but traders must pay a fee ($50 per stall) to register for the full season (from Oct. 6th-Dec. 15th 2010) in cash once their application has been approved and their Sunset Fair Trader pass has been issued. A copy of a current business registration must be attached to the Sunset Fair application form.No refund will be given in case of withdrawal and 2-weeks’ notice is required to cease trading. Full criteria for stallholders can be viewed here and you can join our Facebook group here and follow us on Twitter @SunsetFair.
Unheard voices from a forgotten land - online, illustrated novel about West Papua - amazing read, beautifully produced: http://unheardvoices.westpapua.ca
"The adventure started with an old postcard of conical stilt houses set against a background of misty mountains. The general location? Somewhere in West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara" [Indonesia]. An adventurous group of young architects set out on a quest to find the village of Wae Rebo, then decide to stay and found a Tourism Institution to help develop the local tourism industry and save the village from extinction. An inspiring story and a good example of how traditional houses can be a real asset for tourism also in Timor-Leste. http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/lifeandtimes/the-quest-for-mbaru-niang/385800
In the first week of a joint Indonesia - U.S. exploration of the deep ocean north of Sulawesi, Indonesia, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer’s built-in multibeam sonar mapped a huge undersea volcano while cameras on the ship’s remotely-operated vehicle took high-definition images of the feature called Kawio Barat, referring to the ocean area west of Kawio Islands. http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20100712_underwatervolcano.html
Even Karma won line honours in the 2010 Darwin-Dili Yacht Rally, passing the finish line under sail at 04:04:46 on Tuesday (7th July), in an event characterized by the full gamut of tropical sailing conditions and frustrating hours for crews, spent virtually becalmed along Timor-Leste’s north coast.
Raucous, the only other yacht to complete the event under sail,finished at 13:30:33 hours on Tuesday, after having at one point taken the lead from Even Karmajust 40 miles out from Dili. Ultimately, in a gripping standoff after the two vessels sighted each other, Even Karma pulled ahead of Raucous again to pass the line in atotal elapsed time of 89:04 hours, setting a new event record, beating the previous record of 91:37 hours set byKingoin 1974.
Raucous Skipper Bob Colman said “Even Karma is a bigger, faster yacht and they were 2 hours ahead at Jako. We went north looking for wind . Even Karma was becalmed for hours but when we merged approaching Dili we were alongside”.
Up to that point, Even Karma Skipper John Hardy had had no idea of Raucous’ position: “We thought they’d be a long way back….. we were worried, wondering where they were as we came close to Dili”, Hardy said,”We watched Chantilly and Cattitude come past under motor and then we were searching the horizon. We spotted a boat way out to sea and it was ahead of us. We thought ‘No! It can’t be Raucous!’ so we got the glasses out and gave them to Lee, who has the youngest eyes of the crew, and then we saw the sail”.
“Everyone had had a swim so we had the laundry hanging out. When we thought it might be Raucous we said, ‘This is terrible!’ and we changed our direction and took all the washing in. We were getting back into battle, everyone anxious to get the boat up to best racing speed. We started to converge on him, we started to inch our way towards them and after about half an hour they called us and asked, ‘Are you still racing?’ We said; ‘Of course we’re bloody racing!’“
In the end, the faster boat won out as the two fought currents off Dili: “We worked really hard,” Hardy explained, “Fortunately for us we were able to get that extra speed to go forward at a slow rate. We had a 2-knot current against us and we were only doing 4 knots, but we were going forward. He was going backwards. We pulled away ever so slowly, gradually pulled away from him and got onto his line. We looked up at the statue of Jesus [on the hilltop dominating the view of Dili] all afternoon, all night.But Bob was getting smaller and smaller and we kept going”.
Colman conceded:“At one point we were looking up to the statue of Jesus and praying for wind to bring us in. We had gone from leading to dropping behind, we had a commanding lead but we just lost it.Our crew really had the racing spirit, they did not want to give up even though it’s very tempting to start the motor and head towards a hot shower in Dili, but they just hung in”.
Rally Division yacht,Chantilly, arrived in Dili mid afternoon on 6 July, after motoring the last part of the way because of lack of wind. All other yachts came in throughout the next day, with Dhumbala(the smallest yacht in the fleet) being the last yacht to arrive at 1925 hours in the middle of a tropical downpour.
Chantilly’s Skipper Kevin Hall was thrilled to be met by a welcoming flotilla of official Timorese boats and journalists from the local press, who had not realized that his yachtwas not the official line honours winner because he had used the motor. He and his wife, Carole, were also amazed when a local newspaper seller called out to them on the street the following day to show that they had made the front page of the local newspapers.
“I can’t believe he recognized us! We’re taking them home as souvenirs,”Hall said. They will also be taking home trophies as winner of First Under Sail/handicap, First Past the Line in Dili and a prize for rally radio support.
Cattitude’s Skipper Jim Grierson also walked away with an array of prizes, for Best-Dressed Crew, second place in the multihull category and “Fleet Person of the Rally”: the latter was in recognition of his sporting attitude in coming to the assistance of one competitor in technical difficulty and for taking on a passenger from another yacht who needed to be taken ashore urgently to catch a flight home.He was warmly applauded by all of the entrants when he collected his trophy, in recognition of the fact that he had had to forfeit his chance of completing the event under sail, in order to help others.
Most of the rally participants were philosophical about the lack of wind along Timor-Leste’s north coast once they saw the combination of rugged mountainous scenery and spectacular, secluded beaches that are typical of this part of the country.They were also pleasantly surprised by the professionalism of the customs and immigration formalities that had been arranged for them on arrival.
“It worked a treat, one of the quickest clearances we’ve ever had. I think that’s down to all the good preparation and it’s good to see the cooperation between the services. The cruising permit was also great idea. You can stay one month and sail around”, said Hardy.
Colman was also impressed with the harbourside reception and hopeful for the future of yachting in Timor-Leste: ”Dili is in the middle of a major cruising route and I can really see a marina here in the future. Malaysia has six and people sail from one to another. There is huge potential for Dili, with its deep water and the town so close. You could easily have 50 or 60 berths here”.
The 2010 Darwin-Dili Yacht Rally trophies were presented on Friday (July 9th) by the Minister of Tourism, Commerce and Industry Mr Gil Alves and Northern Territory government Minister Chris Burns, at a waterfront ceremonyfeaturing local cultural performances.On Saturday the event was wrapped up with a party on board a large and luxurious visiting yacht, the MV Lissa.
The 2010 Darwin-Dili Yacht Rally was organized by the Timor-Leste Ministry of Tourism, Commerce and Industry, with support from the country’s tourism association, TLTC (Timor-Leste Tourism Centre), the Northern Territory (Australia) government and the Cruising Yacht Association of the NT (CYANT).The main corporate sponsor was the Timor-Leste insurance company, NITL . Originally established in the international yachting calendar in 1973, the event was suspended in 1975 due to the Indonesian invasion and occupation of the country.Now the government of Timor-Leste, which gained its independence in 2002, intends to run the Yacht Rally as a regular annual event.For further information and details of sponsors, see the official website atwww.sailtimorleste.org.
