Goodbye Timor, Hello Bali

We leave Timor today for a ten day rest and recuperation in Bali. We’ve never been to Indonesia before and to be honest, I was reluctant to visit given the atrocities committed by the Indonesian military against the Timorese. Having read some very brutal, horrific and utterly disturbing accounts of human rights abuses, I was totally put off ever visiting Timor’s former colonial masters. However, as the intensity of what I read lessened in my thoughts, I reconsidered my initial reaction and decided it wasn’t the Indonesian people per se who were at fault, but their very very corrupt government and military commanders. Indonesia was once a former colony of the Dutch and they too share some of the blame for what subsequently happened in Timor, given they never democratised Indonesia and left it with a colonial mentality legacy.

Before we caught our flight, we said goodbye to “our family” and presented them with a small Christmas gift of Walkers shortbread (I also shared these with my colleagues at work the day before). At my request, Daniel explained in Tetum that although the shortbread was from Scotland, due to our cultural heritage (both Daniel and I are of Scottish descent), we ate shortbread in Australia at Christmas time. We also placed a small furry toy kangaroo on top of the shortbread, which we had purchased before we left for Timor back in June. They appeared to be touched by the gesture. (It was also the best I could do given the very limited shopping opportunities available in Timor.)

We asked our family about the “baku malu” (fight) from the previous Sunday (see Welcome to the neighbourhood) and they explained that indeed one man from each of the two households had got into an argument which was fuelled by drinking too much alcohol. They assured us that everything was fine now and for us not to worry.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

The courtship of Argentina and Alberto

We also took the opportunity to ask “our family” about a young woman who lives with them but is not their daughter. We have been intrigued as to her circumstances because we know that Timorese families often have other members of their extended family live with them who often perform household duties, in effect their servants. We were very pleased to hear that the woman, Argentina, is their niece (the daughter of Senyor or Senyora’s sister) and she lives with them because she is studying law at the National University of Timor Leste (UNTL). We asked about her parents and her mother still lives in Bobonaro district near the border with West Timor (Indonesia). Her father however is a Javanese (Indonesian) police officer who has returned to Indonesia due to sexual assault abuses against Argentina’s mother. We speculated that Argentina is probably the result of the rape of her mother by this Javanese man given that she was born in the mid 1980s when Timor was a colony of Indonesia. During Indonesia’s 24 year occupation of Timor, many Indonesian police and military men systemically raped Timorese women often forcing them to become their “wives” (ie sexual slaves). Many women subsequently bore children from these “marriages”. Most of these Indonesian men had wives and children back home and when it was time to leave Timor, abandoned their Timorese “wives” and children. As you can imagine, there are many children in Timor whose fathers are Indonesian.

We have noticed that Argentina spends many hours sitting outside under the eaves of the still under construction family home, with a young man. As they sit directly opposite our kitchen window it is hard to ignore them (and remember, there is no such thing as privacy in Timor; everyone knows your business!) We have also been curious as to what this is about and of course assumed that they were courting. So again, we took the opportunity to ask our family and indeed, Alberto, an architecture student at UNTL, is courting Argentina. I find the process of courting in Timor terribly old fashioned but at the same time quite endearing (although I also know about the lengthy, expensive and disempowering process involved in bride price which I totally abhor.) Argentina’s family (her uncle, our Senyor) is in discussion with Alberto’s family (his uncles) about their future and in time, I hope that we will receive our first Timorese wedding invitation. I’m also wondering whether I should talk to Argentina about contraception because if she is ever to use that future law degree, she will need to control her fertility, otherwise she will be reduced to nothing more than her womb’s ability to produce eight Timorese children. (I’m beginning to feel like I’m a member of an underground Timorese women’s movement with the secret knowledge of where to obtain the highly sort after modern miracle drug: contraception.)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

A visit to a mother and her newborn

Last night Daniel and I visited my colleague, her new baby and extended family at their home. They live behind one of the two major markets in Dili. My colleague gave birth to her second child on 1 December at the Dili National Hospital. Like my colleague who gave birth the month before, she worked right up until she went into labour. However this colleague’s birth was not as easy as the other’s was; the labour was 13 hours and she had to stay in hospital for four days due to ill health. She told me that it had been the same with her first child who was born only 14 months previously. She said that she did not want to have any more children, at least not until her early 30s (she is 23), as she hates the pain of childbirth. My colleague has also said that she only wants two children but perhaps because both are boys, she may want to try again for a girl in the future.

My colleague was, as is customary in Timor, wrapped up in clothes including a woollen/acrylic cardigan! Sweat was pouring off her brow as we sat in the still humid evening air. She wouldn’t drink the soft drink she offered us because she can only drink hot drinks. She can also only bathe in hot, often scalding water. This custom must be adhered to for at least one month after the baby’s birth in the belief that toxins and impurities that resulted from the pregnancy must be sweated out. Again, I do believe that perhaps this custom had some practical benefits in the cold mountainous interior of Timor, but in Dili?!

The baby was wrapped up as well; including the ubiquitous hat on its head. However, at the very least it was cotton and when it fell off his head, no one bothered to put it back on. He weighed 3.5 kg when he was born and likewise his older brother weighed 3.4kg. This is a very good weight for Timorese babies as often women try not to eat too much during their pregnancy in order that the baby does not weigh any more than 3kg. As you can imagine, low birth weight is a huge problem which sets off a whole host of other health problems in the life of a Timorese child (12% of children die before the age of 5.)

There are twelve people living in my colleague’s home which must only have three or four bedrooms at the most. My colleague, her partner/husband and two small children live with her parents and her six siblings. It is unusual for a “married” woman to live with her family of origin but because her partner/husband cannot afford the bride price, they cannot live with his family. My colleague told me that she hopes that the bride price will never be paid because she loves living with her family for it is “better”. Better translates into having more power than is usually the case for women who are “sold” to their husband’s family where they are all too often disempowered and vulnerable.

My colleague and her partner/husband are very beautiful people and their children are likewise gorgeous; and she and her extended family were all delightful. We had a really good feeling from this family and were very pleased to meet them all. However, there was one very funny incident where my colleague’s mother said that Daniel and I had the same faces and therefore looked alike. Daniel and I look nothing like each other! He has brown eyes, a roman nose, full lips and an oval face; I have green eyes, a ski jump nose, thin lips and a round face. I therefore deduced that my colleague’s mother had obviously not been in close contact with many “malae’’ and that Timorese too are just as guilty as white folk are of claiming that the “other” all look alike! To be honest, this was quite a revelation to me, the fact that all races can be guilty of racist comments.

When my colleague returns to work I am going to talk to her about contraception. She has told me that she doesn’t want any more children (for now anyway), but if she doesn’t do something about it, she will soon be pregnant again (remember only 8% of women use contraception hence the highest birth rate in the world). I have recently ascertained where the four places in Dili are located where contraception can be obtained; two of which are free. I’m on a mission!

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Christmas in Timor

Life size nativity scenes have been slowly making an appearance on the streets of Dili in the lead up to Christmas (but unlike in the West, they appear at a reasonable time not months beforehand!). It would appear that communities build them themselves. The one at the end of our street is still in the making so we wonder exactly when it will be ready for us to take a photo of for the blog. The ones that are finished around town are all lit up thanks to the government promising to give us near on 24 hour power in the lead up to Christmas. (I’m happy because it allows me to have the air con on at work and the fans on at home. As a result, I’m saving my body precious water and salt.) The Australian Embassy even has one on its front lawn complete with a kangaroo in a santa hat! Pleeaasse, how tacky can they get.

Daniel’s theory of the many nativity scenes that have sprung up every 500 metres through Dili is that it is one of the few positive products of Timor’s hordes of unemployed young men. Normally, they just sit on the side of the road watching the world go by, gambling, playing pool and occasionally getting into fights. Now they are busily engaged every evening in the design and construction of these often wonderfully creative displays.

Traffic this week has been horrendous; it really feels like a Christmas rush; so many cars on the roads and as a result, it takes longer to get around. I would never have thought of such a thing happening in Timor. (I’ve begun to wonder if in fact there is a secret shopping mall that we don’t know about that is stocked with quality items for purchase but I doubt it.)

We came home last night to find that Senyora had erected a small Christmas tree for us complete with little decorations just like we would have at home. We were genuinely touched (now we just have to pluck up the courage to tell the family that we’re abandoning Timor for 10 days in Bali on Christmas Eve. I’m sure they’re looking forward to serving us “bibi malae”.)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Karau Timor (Buffalo)

This morning on the walk down my street to the main road, I came across a beautiful sight: a “karau” or “karau Timor” (buffalo) wallowing in a shallow pool of muddy water. S/he looked so gracious with her/his head held high looking out and observing her/his surroundings. It was such a gorgeous sight that I wish I’d had my camera!

We have started waking early and taking morning walks again. We leave just before 6am and return to the house by 7:30am. Due to the afternoon and early evening down pours, it has been near impossible to walk at dusk which was our preferred time of day. Yesterday morning we walked to Tasitolu Peace Park and discovered that the waters had risen considerably. There are still not that many birds although I did notice all the p ones: pelicans, plovers, puffins (I think). As we made our way around one of the lake’s perimeter, we came across the largest herd of buffalo we had ever seen: fathers, mothers and lots of baby buffalos who are just so darn cute! (I really have to restrain myself from approaching them for a hug.) Buffalos are so regal and dignified; I just love watching their graceful slow strides across the landscape.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Tetum lessons complete

After five months, I completed 53 chapters (and the book) of Tetum language training with my tutor earlier this month. I was quite relieved to finish. The cultural values of my Tutor were often too much for me to bear although on our last day together, I felt a bit sad that we were parting company. I’d grown fond of him in a funny kind of way although I knew that we could never move on to a friendship. Not long before our final lesson he told me that his wife’s father had died and that members of her father’s family of origin demanded that he buy a buffalo and a horse out of respect (his mother-in-law and her family didn’t want my tutor to do this so who were the animals for – the uncle-in-laws?). A buffalo is the most expensive (and important) animal in Timor and costs about $500 and a horse about half that. My tutor simply doesn’t have that kind of money and has refused to do as his uncle-in-laws want. Again, the clash between the traditional and the modern elements of Timorese society is at play here. My tutor is an educated urban dweller without access to animals or vast sums of cash to purchase them. A rural dweller might just hand over some of his livestock without much to lose but when you don’t have animals and you have to buy them, well, you have to go into debt which is what many Timorese do to their great detriment (see A culture of dependence). It was one of the few moments where I was proud of my tutor taking a stand against outmoded traditions and customs that no longer serve a purpose and in fact, in his case, would make his life (and that of his young family) harder.

Daniel and I are now going to teach ourselves Tetum with the help of the CDs we purchased at great expense from the Foreign Language Bookshop in Melbourne. As you can imagine, given that Tetum is a language spoken by less than one million people, any language reference material costs the earth. In all we have spent around $250 on books and CDs; and we were given a budget by AVI for our lessons with our tutor although in the end we went over it so had to wear some of the cost ourselves.

There are three schools of thought on Tetum which mainly relates to correct spelling and usage of words. Because Tetum is an oral language there is great dispute between these schools and you often see words written quite differently. It certainly makes life even more interesting as a student of the language! One school comes from a Dutch Australian woman who lives in Dili and who completed her PhD on Tetum. Her book was written for Peace Corps, is the one used by most tutors in Dili and is considered popular spoken Dili. It is the one I just completed using with my tutor. The second school is an Australian academic based in Sydney who makes regular trips to Timor and is considered to be the authority on the language by the Timorese government (they appointed him Director of Research and Publications at the National Institute of Linguistics, Timor Leste’s official language authority). He is a brilliant linguist and knows all 16 of the local dialects in Timor but his language use is more formal and academic. The CDs we purchased along with the book come from this more formal and academic school of thought so it will be interesting to compare it to the former which we have been learning since we arrived. The third proponent is less vigorous, but was the main force behind the Lonely Planet Tetum phrasebook.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Our “bibi malae”

We have had a “bibi malae” (lit: foreign goat; English: sheep) in our garden for most of December. The Tetum name reflects the fact that like us “malae” (foreigner) this “bibi” (goat) comes from foreign lands. The trouble is both “bibi” and “bibi malae” look a lot like one another (perhaps due to interbreeding) and the most obvious way to tell them apart is that the latter’s tale lays flat while the former stands up. Our “bibi malae” (who I talk to every morning upon leaving the house and who baas in response) has been eating the ever growing grass which has exploded since the wet season arrived. Up until this time, Senyor and one or two of the younger boys would crouch down and cut the grass with a big pair of shears. It took them ages and as soon as they’d finished, they’d have to start all over again! We were also consistently woken at 6am by the sounds of the snipping and were relieved once they stopped; only to have one noise replaced with another (the baas of the sheep). Lawnmowers are a rarity in Timor although I did see a bunch of them the other day but they were being used by government employed men to cut the grass in a public park. Private use of such a mechanical device is unheard of unless you’re an “ema boot” (big/important person).

I’m now worried that our family are fattening up our “bibi malae” to murder him/her on Christmas Day. I’m just glad that we won’t be here if it does happen because I really couldn’t stand it (I’ve been a vegetarian for 23 years for ethical reasons.) However, one thing I must point out about the Timorese and their attitude to animals: they’re very consistent. This is not something that can be said about Westerners. Timorese treat all their animals (so called pets and food animals) in a seemingly callous and perfunctory fashion, as they are merely fulfilling a function rather than having intrinsic worth. Westerners pander to their pets to the extent that many now spend ridiculous sums of money on them (the latest is designer jewellery the money for which could educate one child in Timor for at least a year) but then eat food animals which have been raised in the most appallingly cruel ways. Westerners are definitely hypocrites when it comes to animals. Timorese are not. But interestingly, the Tetum language makes distinctions between animals and humans that the English language does not and as we all know, language tells us a lot about culture and of course power relationships. In Tetum, you cannot use the same words as you would in English to describe a pregnant woman as you would a pregnant animal or when either gives birth; to do so is considered highly offensive. So for example a pregnant woman is “isin rua” (two bodies) but an animal is “kabuk”. When a woman gives birth it is “tuur ahi” but for an animal “hahoris”. This combined with the Timorese adherence to Catholicism (although it’s really animistic Catholicism), does not bode well for any future reappraisal of their relationship to the animals with whom they share this earth.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Our new neighbours

Our new next door neighbours appear to have five children all of whom are under the age of 10. However, they still insist of greeting us with “malae, malae” but I’m hoping that familiarity will soon ween them off it!

Our neighbours also have a pet dog that actually looks like a pet! It’s fat and fluffy and sits on their front porch instead of roaming the streets scavenging for whatever food it can get while terrorising passers-by. I’m so enamoured by it that I want to go up to it and rub its tummy and stroke its ears. Maybe I’ll get the chance.

Our neighbours also have an enormous satellite dish which no other members of our community have (not even us!) It picks up TV from most of Asia, particularly Indonesia, as well as some European channels. Unfortunately it’s not the ginormous and every expensive dish needed to pick up Australian TV (which although Australia is only 500km away the short wave nature of our television station signals precludes them from being picked up cheaply) so there’s no need (other than their puppy dog and cute children) to ingratiate myself with the new neighbours just yet!

Unfortunately, our new neighbours have also brought with them a bloody rooster! He has joined the other four in our immediate vicinity and revels in waking us up at 2am. (I have begun to have secret fantasies of becoming the phantom rooster murderer of Rai Kotu.)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Final stories for the year

A Friday night about 10 days ago I spent 1 hour 15 minutes waiting for a “mikrolet” with an empty seat to take me home; all “mikrolets” that passed were packed like sardine tins. In recent living memory, that is a public transport waiting record. I was determined to wait and eventually one turned up with a seat despite Daniel suggesting at 45 minutes wait (he had just turned up) that we catch a taxi. I said no, I was determined (stubborn really) to wait. (This trait is also what keeps me in Timor despite my wanting to leave).

Over the past week we’ve both had traveller’s diarrhoea (the first since we arrived); Daniel more severe than me as mine only lasted a day (8 bouts though) whereas Daniel’s has been going for more than a week. We suspect it might be giardia. He’s taken one round of antibiotics and it worked for about a day or two but reappeared again.

Over the past couple of days, I have noticed a new animal sound emanating from our neighbourhood that has been causing me fitful night’s sleep. I have no idea what it is but have guessed either a very large lizard or frog. It is not a sound that I am familiar with but it’s certainly very loud.

Another child died in Rai Kotu. The tell tale white piece of fabric was on display on the road outside the child’s house. I do not know the circumstances.

I’ve begun making friends with the little children who live in the alternative street I now walk down in the mornings to the main road. They’re all very very adorable.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Juggling Pragmatic Politics with Bloody Past

I’ve copied the following article into a post because I think it’s worth reading in order to understand some of the wider political issues that I have been addressing since arriving in Timor six months ago.

The Straits Times (Singapore)

Monday, December 19, 2005

Commentary

Juggling Pragmatic Politics with Bloody Past

by John McBeth

The commission formed to investigate human rights abuses during Indonesia's bloody 25-year occupation of the former East Timor, now Timor Leste, has just issued its report. There are gory details aplenty, but it is interestingly circumspect about the role of the US and Australia, as John McBeth discovers in an exclusive preview of the report in Jakarta.

In a report that stands to become the historic record of a nation's bloody struggle for statehood, Timor Leste's Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) estimates that 18,600 non-combatant East Timorese were killed or disappeared and at least 84,000 more died as a direct result of displacement policies during Indonesia's brutal 24-year rule over the former Portuguese colony.

The report, which President Xanana Gusmao presented to the Timor Leste Parliament on Nov 28, has yet to be released publicly. But a copy of the executive summary, reviewed exclusively by The Straits Times, provides a detailed and often chilling account of human rights abuses committed by both Indonesian security forces and warring Timorese factions between 1974 and 1999.

The 36-strong independent commission, formed in 2002 and whose mandate expires today, also outlines a long list of recommendations - many of them clearly unattainable - that highlight the differences between a body anxious to keep faith with history and with Timor Leste's many victims, and a government with a firm eye on pragmatic politics.

Drawn from nearly 8,000 statements collected in Timor Leste's 13 districts and 65 sub-districts, and also from Timorese refugees across the Indonesian border in West Timor camps, the report – entitled 'Chega!' in Portuguese, or 'Enough' - runs through a litany of alleged crimes during the bloody years.

These range from mass executions to forced resettlements, sexual and other horrific forms of torture as well as abuse against children.

It is not just confined to Indonesian excesses. Large sections of the three-year work are devoted to executions and torture carried out by the left-wing Revolutionary Front of Independent Timor-Leste (Fretilin) and the rightist Timorese Democratic Union (UDT) in the civil war proceeding Indonesia's 1975 invasion, which left 3,000 people dead, and also in internal purges within Fretilin in the first years of Indonesian occupation.

On the events surrounding Timor Leste's August 1999 vote for independence, the report pulls no punches. It finds that the death and destruction was not the work of so-called rogue elements of the Indonesian Armed Forces, but was in fact the execution of a systematic plan that was approved, conducted and controlled by Indonesian military commanders up to the highest level.

'Members of the civil administration of Timor Leste [sic: should be East Timor as it was known under Indonesian occupation] and national-level government officials, including ministers, knew of the strategy being pursued on the ground, and rather than taking action to halt it, directly supported its implementation,' it says.

In a separate section, however, the report insists that the 1999 rampage should not be allowed to cloud what went on when the former East Timor was locked away for more than 13 years.

'Egregious as they were,' it says, 'the crimes committed in 1999 were far outweighed by those committed during the previous 24 years of occupation and cannot be properly understood or addressed without acknowledging the truth of the long conflict.'

The commission cites a number of specific incidents, among them the alleged September 1981 massacre of 160 Fretilin fighters and their families on the slopes of Mount Aitana on the Manatuto-Viqueque border, south-east of Dili. This followed the conclusion of what was known as Operation Kikis - a two-month sweep-and-destroy mission which is said to have involved 60,000 shanghaied East Timorese civilians.

In each case, only military units are mentioned. The names of each perpetrator or perpetrators of human rights violations are identified through a coding system, which corresponds to a secret list held only by President Gusmao.

It is not known how many people are on the list, but it is understood that in many incidents, the same perpetrators were allegedly involved.

Among the report's many recommendations:

The renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Special Crimes Unit to investigate and try human rights violations, including eight 'exemplary and critical' cases of massacres and executions perpetrated by both Fretilin resistance forces and the Indonesian military.

The establishment by the UN Security Council of an international tribunal 'should other measures be deemed to have failed to deliver a sufficient measure of justice and Indonesia persists in the obstruction of justice'.

The use of the Commission of Truth and Friendship, recently created between Indonesia and Timor Leste, to explore the possibility of further criminal trials and a policy of reparations to victims.

Reparations should be paid not just by Indonesia and, as a stop-gap measure, the Timor Leste government, but also by the permanent members of the UN Security Council - China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States.

The commission also wants the Indonesian government to table the 2,500-page report in the country's House of Representatives, to revise official Indonesian accounts and education materials related to its presence in Timor Leste, as well as to provide the full documentation of all military operations which resulted in human rights violations - demands which Jakarta is almost certain to reject.

Anxious to preserve relations with Indonesia, President Gusmao has been reluctant to release the commission's findings.

He told Timor Leste legislators last month that the report's recommendations could not be considered 'absurdly utopian, but are realistically very ambitious'. He added that 'the grandiose idealism they (the commissioners) possess is well-manifested to the point it goes beyond conventional political boundaries'.

Despite an outcry among human rights groups and Timorese victims over the climate of immunity in Indonesia that has allowed military officers to escape prosecution, President Gusmao also took issue with the commission's assertion that the absence of justice is a 'fundamental obstacle in the process of building a democratic society'.

He pointed to the considerable effort which Indonesia has invested in democratisation and said the Jakarta administration knows that the core obstacle to the building of a democratic society is how badly derailed the fundamentals of justice have become in society and what must be done to correct the situation.

The report says Indonesian security forces, including East Timorese militiamen, were responsible for 70 per cent of the killings, which reached a peak in the late 1970s as they tried all means to break the back of the resistance. During the same timeframe, an estimated 42,000 Timorese were arbitrarily detained, and 232 were convicted and sentenced to lengthy jail terms on subversion charges after sham political trials.

The commission says that, at a minimum, 84,200 people died of hunger and illness - in excess of the peacetime baseline for these causes of death - between 1977 and 1979, when people were being driven out of the mountains into tightly guarded resettlement camps.

Although it does not provide further evidence, it suggests the death toll could be as high as 183,000 - conforming with the figure that Western humans rights groups have been using for years.

Interestingly, the executive summary is circumspect about the role of the United States and Australia in giving the green light to Indonesia's invasion. It only says that hopes for the smooth de-colonisation of Timor Leste were thwarted by 'Portuguese neglect, Indonesian interference supported by its key Western allies, the US and Australia, and the inexperience of the young leaders of the territory's newly formed parties'.

It says that while Australia was well-placed to influence policymaking on the issue, it 'cautioned against force, but led Indonesia to believe it would not oppose incorporation. It did not use its international influence to try and block the invasion and spare Timor Leste its predictable humanitarian consequences'.

Strangely, the Americans barely get a mention, despite new disclosures that then-US secretary of state Henry Kissinger gave then-president Suharto of Indonesia more than a wink and a nod.

The report does, however, point to the political context in 1975, when successive communist victories in Indochina were only compounding long-held fears of a domino effect throughout South-east Asia and the possibility of Timor Leste becoming an Asian Cuba.

Apart from its call for reparations, the commission does have one specific request for the international community: that UN member states deny visas to Indonesian military officers named in the report for either human rights abuses or command responsibility for troops accused of violations.

The independent commission outlines a long list of recommendations - many of them clearly unattainable - that highlight the differences between a body anxious to keep faith with history and with Timor Leste's many victims, and a government with a firm eye on pragmatic politics.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Welcome to the neighbourhood

I was woken this morning at 5am by our new next door neighbour revving up his government issued 4WD. It had rained heavily the evening before and he was moving both his 4WD and his own private car out of the driveway onto the street and then reversing them back in again. The 4WD struggled up the small muddy incline so the engine was revved to full effect. I peered through the dark morning light to see what was gong on and then flashed my torchlight at the clock to see what the time was. I thought to myself: “what the hell is he doing moving his cars at this time of the morning?” I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t as I then heard the squeal of a pig. I waited awhile but the squealing continued so I went to the window and saw a handful of men in our new next door neighbour’s back garden but I couldn’t make out what they were doing in the dim light. I soon suspected that they were slaughtering a pig but didn’t care to see it happen. Soon after, a man and a woman left the house and got into the private car and drove away. Again, I thought, “where are they driving to at 5:30am?” I returned to bed exhausted and angry.

I slept fitfully on and off for the next couple of hours as “our family” were also stirred by the movements of our new neighbours and were soon all up (and as there are nine of them, it’s hard to miss their comings and goings). When I finally dragged myself out of bed, it became apparent that a feast was being prepared at the new neighbour’s place as many women were busily working away under a hastily constructed tarpaulin in the back garden. I then noticed the head of a goat tied up to something similar to an artist’s easel. I said to Daniel that I didn’t think that goats squealed but perhaps one of each animal had been slaughtered for the occasion.

Then the cars started arriving. We’ve never seen so many cars in our neighbourhood! Our new neighbours are clearly “ema boot” (big/important people). They’re the only people in our small community who have a car (and they have two) and the house they have been slowly building since our arrival in July, is enormous by Timorese standards. It is much bigger than our house and we are the wealthiest people in the community. The family across the road started up their band playing and delighted the neighbourhood with Christmas carols. (It does feel a bit strange to hear familiar festive songs in such an unfamiliar place.) I said to Daniel that I was surprised that we weren’t invited to partake in the festivities but at the same time I was glad we weren’t as I couldn’t imagine sitting around all day trying to converse in a language I only have a rudimentary grasp of (and the Timorese love to draw out their celebrations for as long as possible: preferably all day and all night). Moreover, I am not a sociable person and dislike such gatherings at the best of times.

Things seemed to be going merrily along with lots of people and kids coming and going until about 5:30pm when over the sound of the very noisy mechanical water pump that Senyor turns on every couple of days to supply us all with water, I heard the sounds of raised voices. I ignored it for awhile but then decided to investigate. There was a group of men across the road restraining another man. They were trying to take him to our new neighbour’s house. Once the water pump was turned off it was easier to hear what was going on although impossible to make out the substance given the language problem. It appeared that at least two young men (20s, 30s) were having a “baku malu” (fight) but it could have involved more men. However, most of the other men were trying to stop the two waring sides from going at each other. One appeared to live at or at least was visiting our new neighbour’s house and the other belongs or again was visiting our neighbours across the road.

The hordes of children that descended on our community for the feast took refuge in our front garden along with their mothers (“our family” continues to use the garden as their own so for all intents and purposes only our house is our private space). One of the little girls who I know is the daughter of the family across the road was crying on and off, usually when the aggression flared up, which lasted for one and a half hours. Senyor and Senyora tried to play the role of peacemakers as we know that they are respected members of our community as they are part of the older generation (40s, remember the average life expectancy in Timor is 50).

We felt like the UN barracks circa 1999 when Timorese were streaming through the gates to get away from the Indonesian military militia led violence. Our front garden was full of women and children watching and waiting for the violence to subside. One or two of the children also took a toilet break in the garden which provided us with a moment of light relief in an otherwise tense afternoon.

What is interesting is the extent of the involvement of the community in solving the dispute. Unlike in Australia where the police would have been called and the offenders taken away for disturbing the peace, three separate households (all related) tried to resolve the situation (while us the “malae” looked on through our windows like anthropologists).

Violence is common in Timorese communities and is usually fuelled by alcohol, gambling, cock fighting and highly charged young men (not so different from Australia really sans the cock fighting). I just hope that this incident is not a sign of things to come; and that the dispute was not between two permanent members of each household because if it was, it is not a good sign given our new neighbours only moved in a week ago. We have enjoyed peaceful living (i.e. non violent; I certainly do not mean quiet for if anything, the noise level has increased as our new neighbours are a young couple with young children) and hope to remain living here for as long as we stay in Timor.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

What I like about living in Timor

Having an “isin boot” (big body) is admired and considered healthy;

There are few if any mirrors from which to practice one’s narcissist tendencies;

Women wear little if any makeup;

Life is laidback;

There is little consumerism and therefore shopping is not a pastime to waste one’s hours on;

Living near the beach and close to Tasitolu Peace Park;

The smiles and laughter of all the little children;

It is sunny nearly 12 hours a day everyday; and most importantly,

Working for an organisation that seeks to raise awareness about women’s and children’s rights and which provides comfort and assistance to them in times of need.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Lessons from Timor

Poverty is a scourge that must be eradicated; it is the responsibility of us all to see that it happens;

Human Rights, particularly women’s and children’s are universal and must be upheld despite protestations by men (in the name of culture) to the contrary;

Women’s Rights are fundamentally dependent on them being able to choose when, where and with whom they have sex, being able to control their fertility and how many children they want with access to contraception, all of which can be achieved with reproductive and sexual health education for boys and girls at a young age with an emphasis on equal responsibility for having sex and its consequences without interference by the church;

Problems in the family, community and nation cannot be solved by violence; words must replace brute force;

Justice must be pursued and obtained in order for individuals and societies to respect and have faith in democracy and the rule of law, and just as importantly to give people the opportunity to heal past traumas;

We are intrinsically part of the environment and dependent on it for physical and spiritual sustenance and therefore we must protect it;

We are not the only animals on this planet and must accord all living beings due respect;

In order to achieve democracy, governments must communicate in a language understood by all of its citizens;

Evidence based universal education (as opposed to anecdotal observations and the continuation of harmful and irrational beliefs and customs) is crucial in order that all of the above can be achieved.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Books and DVDs

I’ve just completed reading Days Like These: Scenes from an ordinary life by Rebecca Tyrrel. The book is a collection of Tyrrel’s writings from a column of the same name that have appeared in the Sunday Telegraph Magazine since early 1998. Her column is a portrait of a fictionalized life of an ordinary West London household: the author Tyrrel, her husband Matthew a journalist for the Guardian newspaper and their son Louis. At first I thought, uh oh, this is very light and uninteresting but I persisted as I soon found her writing very funny, particularly her portrayal of her husband Matthew. Tyrrel has a wonderfully deadpan wit and she uses it to great affect in her descriptions of her everyday life. She made me laugh, which is important as I don’t have the opportunity to experience much humour living in Timor.

I’m about to commence reading Kate Jennings’ Moral Hazard a book I first heard read on the ABC’s Radio National while working out at the Melbourne Uni gym.

I’ve managed to keep up reading a book a fortnight for the past six months but in anticipation of running out of quality material (and in light of the fact that I haven’t been entirely happy with all 12 books I have read to date of which mainly were found at the book exchange at the Xanana Reading Room) I recently placed an order with my Aunt in Melbourne. This week I should receive three quality publications: Thunder from the Silent Zone Rethinking China by Dr Paul Monk, The End of Poverty by Dr Jeffrey Sachs and Motherhood by Anne Manne. They should keep me busy until at least the end of February.

I’ve been remiss in not sharing what DVDs we have been watching of late so here’s a comprehensive rundown.

Much to our regret, we finished watching season 2 of the L Word but eagerly wait for season 3 to hit the shelves of the DVD store next year. We completed watching volume 3 of Doctor Who and eagerly await the fourth and final volume which should arrive in this week’s mail along with the three aforementioned books. The last film we watched was the Japanese animated film Princess Mononoke by the same director as Spirited Away. I actually preferred the former with its morality tale of man’s destruction of the environment and the animals that dwell in it. I highly commend this film to you. The wonderful Spanish film The Sea Inside was very moving and I also commend it, particularly if you are interested in the ethical debates around euthanasia.

The Argentinean film The Holy Girl was a tad slow but it was an okay film. The French and French Canadian co-produced film La Petite Lili based on Chekov’s play The Seagull was quite good with again, sumptuous scenery which made me want to jump on the next available flight to Canada. Two American HBO films for television: the touching and stellar cast filled Lackawanna Blues and Winter Solstice with Aussie Anthony LaPaglia was quite an enjoyable little film. An American film of an ensemble cast telling ten stories with intertwining characters Happy Endings was pleasurable. The American indy film Me and You and Everyone We Know was quirky. The Canadian gay film Sugar was different. The British film The Girl in the Café was far-fetched and by the same director as Love Actually, which I loathed. I don’t know what’s happened to the director Richard Curtis; he once co-wrote Black Adder (which we are also watching; rationed to one episode a week) but his films of recent times are just romantic drivel.

What we’re really in need of is quality British television dramas and comedies but we just can’t get them in Timor. Instead, we have to pay a small fortune for the real thing to be purchased in Australia and then posted to us (along with Doctor Who, we’ll receive season 2 of Spooks to add to season 3 which was sent to us previously but which has been put on hold until we watch season 2). I’ve been longing to see again the absolutely hilarious Little Britain and the very wicked Nighty Night. How I miss television!

“Our family” has on at least two separate occasions ( we think it was Senyor the first time and Senyora the other), looked through our expanding DVD collection and then placed them back on the shelf and in the cupboard the wrong way round (they wouldn’t make very good spies!) It’s a bit disconcerting really because of the way that the distributors of these pirated DVDs reconfigure the front covers: they do their utmost to make you believe that the contents are full of sex which may or may not be the case. As Daniel and I aren’t into porno, we have found this practice a little amusing but now that we know that “our family” are looking at our collection, I have started to fret that they think that we’re dirty little “malae”. I feel I need to have a word to them about the practice of changing the front covers of DVDs as I’m sure they have no idea. (I need to defend myself: my reputation is at stake!) However, I cannot figure out the appropriate Tetun words and anyway, don’t wish to embarrass them. The things I have to worry about living in Timor.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Human Rights and Communitarianism

I have begun to wonder if it is at all possible to have human rights and communitarianism; is it possible to preserve the communitarian nature of Timorese societies while respecting human rights? I have drawn the tentative conclusion that it is not. Human rights are based on a respect for the individual and their expression as unique human beings. Communitarian societies on the other hand are highly stratified, with men usually on top and women, children and animals in descending order below. There is a strong and overwhelming culture of conformity and any sign of difference is severely dealt with including excommunication (and in more extreme societies (outside of Timor) even death). Moreover, in order to preserve the community there can be no questioning of the prevailing order and therefore, people strictly adhere to customs and norms without question, even if they can and do result in human rights abuses. Any individual, who questions, is a threat to social cohesion.

If Timor is to seriously embrace the idea of human rights then its societies will continue to change and evolve away from their communitarian nature. Certainly for women and children, this is to their advantage. Although I deplore the atomized societies that the countries of the West have become, I know that my life as a white Western woman is much more preferable to the life I see of most Timorese women.

I attribute this to my culture’s history of moving from a premodern to a modern state with its attendant focus on the individual and their human rights. With this transition comes the demise of communitarianism and the rise of the individual. I believe that communitarian societies have little to offer individuals (particularly women and children) and what little there is is worth giving up in order that individuals’ human rights are respected. The big losers in the transition are men, whose inherent power and status is questioned by individuals no longer willing to toe the line.

I wish to state that in no way do I think that the West is some sort of human rights paradise, particularly for women and children, indigenous peoples, some immigrants and asylum seekers. It isn’t. But it is further along the path of human development which most individuals when given the opportunity want to travel.

You can also probably tell that I am no cultural relativist and proudly so. I became thoroughly disillusioned with my university studies in gender because of the undeservedly high prominence postmodernists have in the academy. I don’t wish to turn this post into a dissertation of why I think postmodernism is wrong, but I will say that while it has offered us a more critical perspective on the world, it has unfortunately taken things to such an extreme that my bearing witness to human rights abuses (deemed culturally appropriate), results in my feeling paralysed and depressed. Its worst offence is that it won’t criticise culture because according it its theory all are valid and equal. I completely disagree. I am a firm proponent of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (a thoroughly modern document) and all other such treaties (CEDAW, CRC etc). I believe in the universality of human rights regardless of culture. There will always be something distinctly Timorese about the culture here just like there are distinct cultures in Australia, the USA and Sweden. However, if a societal practice violates the human rights of its members, then it must change. Education, health, women’s and children’s rights, employment and opportunity are the main tools in this process – although governments must protect vulnerable people in the meantime!

I did not realise how much I took for granted my thoroughly modern sense of individualism before coming to Timor; my right to express my gender and sexuality without condemnation from my society for not conforming to some norm that ultimately benefits men. Now I feel like its greatest proponent, much to the displeasure of Daniel who jokes that I’ll soon forgo voting Green in favour of the Liberals (Conservative/Tory/nasty).

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Invasion Day and National Heroes Day

I received my first (and I hope last) abusive phone call today. The very unimaginative Timorese male asked in English: “do you like fucking?” I hung up. He certainly won’t be added to the illustrious list of Timorese National Heroes, whom the country commemorates today with a public holiday (it is also Invasion Day – the day the Indonesians brutally invaded the recently declared independent Timor in 1975).

Unfortunately my respect and admiration for one of the great (if not greatest) heroes of this tiny nation the President of Timor, Xanana Gusmao, has been slowly dwindling since I arrived. He has of late demonstrated nothing but cowardice towards his people. Firstly, he will not pursue justice for the 24 years of brutal occupation his people endured. Not one Indonesian military person has been convicted for crimes against humanity while Timor’s prisons have a number of former Timorese militia members (the small fry) doing time. He will not pursue an International Criminal Court or Tribunal and instead, agreed to the joint creation with the Indonesians of the (powerless to prosecute, but empowered to recommend amnesties for war criminals) Truth and Friendship Commission based in Bali. The latest betrayal has been the handing over of the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor (CAVR) report which by law, must be publicly released. (The Commission is an independent statutory authority that inquired into human rights violations committed on all sides, between April 1974 and October 1999, and facilitated community reconciliation with justice for those who committed less serious offences.)

Instead, Gusmao has said that he doesn’t want “his” people to rehash the past and wants the report shelved. Gusmao clearly has no understanding that without acknowledgment of past wrongs and the opportunity to heal not to mention justice prevailing there can be no secure future for this country. Things cannot be just swept under the carpet as if they never happened; to live in denial is unhealthy for individuals let alone an entire nation. Who was it who said, “those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it”?

When Daniel arrived home from work this evening (the director of his NGO did not know that it was a public holiday and made his staff work!), he told me that the government has now issued a press release in regard to the CAVR report in order to rectify all the “supposed lies” being told about Gusmao not wanting it publicly released! Media sources in Timor and overseas (including Radio Australia this evening) have widely reported that Gusmao did not want the report released but the government is now saying this is a lie. Could it be they are feeling the pressure of numerous human rights organisations who have, over recent weeks, been lobbying the government to release the report?

There was a demonstration of about 300 people outside the Government building today demanding that an international criminal tribunal be established for Timor. The demands of the people fall on deaf ears: political and economic interests take priority over the pursuit of justice.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Samantha, the Bank Manager and Employment Consultant

I gave my third loan this morning to a colleague who had only just paid me back for a loan I gave her last month. She turned up on my doorstep late Monday afternoon, not long after I had returned from Liquisa. She was the first Timorese person (apart from our family) to visit me at home. I was shocked to see her!

She wanted to ask me for a job and a loan of some money, she thought it best to come visit me at home. We live in the same part of town although she lives across the other side of the major road so I was perplexed to know how she managed to find my house but then I thought, silly me! all she had to do was ask anyone in the neighbourhood where the “malae” live and they can all tell her (there is no anonymity here).

This loan is to pay for a hospital bill as her two and half year old son has broken his leg and will be in hospital for a month. My colleague wanted him to have a better room for the first couple of nights as he will have to spend his entire time in a crowded ward of men, women and children. She also told me that her mother blamed her for the incident because she did not go to church enough and pray! (This is quite a common response to tragic events: blame another person (always a close (female) family member) for their lack of religious piety.) So I thought, well, I completely disagree with her mother’s apportioning of blame and it’s for a good cause so I handed over my money to her.

My colleague’s contract comes to an end on 31 December (see previous post What keeps you in Timor?), so she wants me to help her find a new job. The irony is, she expressed concern about finding a new position because of the nepotism that goes on in Timor, but she did not draw a link to the fact that she was asking me to use my connections (in effect nepotism) to get her a job! Moreover, she holds me in too high regard, I have no connections!

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Bearing witness and powerlessness

Yesterday I attended my third training with my team (again as part of the Campaign to End Violence). This time it was in the district of Liquisa west of Dili. We visited the “suku” (village) of Darulete, population of about 1200 people and located about 45 km and a one and a half hour drive from Dili. The last few kilometres drive up was really pretty and lush and we arrived at the top of the mountain at the village to again be greeted with cool fresh air. I was surprised to discover another “malae feto” (foreign female) there: a 25 year old Peace Corps woman who hails from a small town near Flint, Michigan (Michael Moore territory).

She had been living there for just over a year and was the only “malae” in the village. (Peace Corps just loves placing their American charges in small remote villages without any company. I simply couldn’t do it and I admire their bravery.) I had great conversations with this woman who had just recently moved out of the “xefi de suku’s” (village chief/mayor) house where she had lived for a year. She couldn’t stand him (and nor he her) and she was relieved to leave. He constantly accused her of being lazy as she wouldn’t do all the chores that women of Timor are expected to do (of course meanwhile, he did very little like most Timorese men). She said it was interesting to watch the second eldest child (a boy) order his eldest sister around, treating her like his personal slave. Clearly he had learnt well, role modelling his father’s behaviour. The “xefi” has six children the youngest of whom is a three month old boy who I met with his mother. He was a beautiful and chubby baby (a rarity) and I was pleased to see that his mother was still breastfeeding him. Disturbingly however, the Peace Corps woman told me that just in the past week or so the “xefi” had physically assaulted his three year old daughter by hitting her in the left eye so severely that it caused her nose to bleed and left her with a black eye (I saw the wounds healing). As we both commented, that this is child abuse in our respective countries and it would be reported to children’s services. But here as visitors we can do nothing about it and in fact are instructed by our sending organisations not to interfere as it can often cause more harm than good.

The “xefi” got up during the training and talked about domestic violence (which here includes child abuse), and said how reprehensible it was. Because traditional justice is the primary system for seeking redress in Timor, anyone who has experienced violence will, if they choose to do something about it, as a first point of call, visit their “xefi”. Just imagine visiting this one! I’m sure he’s not alone in the gap between how he behaves to what he says to the members of his village. I call it arbitrary justice. (Just imagine going to your local mayor to resolve domestic violence who was himself abusing his children and probably others).

A couple of weeks ago I was witness to the public flogging of a young boy in my community. I was walking up to the main road and noticed up ahead a group of young men struggling to hold a boy of about 10 who was clearly very distressed. At some point the boy managed to escape and came running down the street with whom, I assume was his father, in hot pursuit wielding a rope or what looked like the root of a tree. He was flogging the boy as he tried to run away. The boy was hysterical as his father kept flogging him. Most of the community was out on the street watching but doing nothing. I was deeply disturbed and had to stop myself from saying to the father “para!, la bele!” (stop!, you cannot!). But for me to say anything would almost certainly cause more pain and suffering for the boy. The father would be humiliated in front of his community (and by a “malae” woman at that) and as a male this is a serious affront to his power and status. Moreover, the boy would be further physically assaulted at home.

This is one of the biggest challenges I face living in Timor. I have been, and I am sure will continue to be, witness to human rights abuses where I am powerless to do anything about it. Can you imagine how debilitating and ultimately depressing that is? If I were in Australia, I would have no problem stopping abuse or reporting it to the police. However, Timor is a communitarian society with no sense of space and privacy, and therefore these things are in your face on a regular basis. In Australia, violence is hidden behind insulated brick walls and therefore usually unseen by neighbours, family and friends. My problem isn’t so much the public nature of assault here but the fact that I can do nothing about it. I would really rather live in a country where if I am witness to such abuse, I am empowered and able to do something about it. Not being able to do anything about it challenges dearly held values: by not doing anything, aren’t I just as complicit in the abuse as the person committing it?

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Update on recognition of same sex relationships

Today Britain becomes the fifth country in the world to recognise the equality of same sex and heterosexual relationships as its Civil Partnerships Act comes into effect. South Africa will soon become the sixth country and first Less Developed Country to do so. I also imagine it will be the only African country to recognise same sex relationships for some time to come. The conservative nature and influence of the Christian churches in Africa thwarts any attempt to recognise that sexual orientation is a human right.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Brief moments of serenity

Yesterday I attended my second district training with my team. It was part of my NGO’s contribution to the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence which runs from 25 November (International Day Against Violence Against Women) to 10 December (International Human Rights Day). This training was again in Ermera but in a little “suku” (village) of 1300 odd people called Matata in the subdistrict of Railaku. It is located about 45 km south west of Dili, and takes about one and a half hours to get there thanks to the road conditions. About 5 to 10km out from Matata, we turned off the main road on to a very small narrow windy road that was a combination of paved and washed away segments. This was definitely 4WD territory. The drive up was really pretty as everything was green and lush thanks to the recent monsoon rains. The road was bordered by beautiful colourful flowers, the sight of which lifted my spirits considerably. Then I spotted my first two colourful parrots in Timor (similar to the ones we have in Australia); and as we approached the centre of the village, I caught sight of a brown eagle/hawk with a white neck and head flying overhead. When I got out of the car, I noticed immediately the cool fresh air and the fact that there were no mosquitoes (but there were lots of flies). I didn’t notice a single drop of perspiration all day. What bliss. My Timorese colleagues of course were complaining about how cold it was while I was professing my contentment.

In attendance were nearly 100 people, unfortunately 90% were men and therefore they chained smoked really strong pure Timorese tobacco from 10:30am until we left at 4pm. We were sitting outside; my team were placed on the veranda of the local (medical) clinic, and the villagers under tarpaulins. The wind was blowing towards us so all the cigarette smoke ended up in my nostrils and lungs and by the end of the day I had a massive headache. There’s always something to spoil my brief moments of serenity in Timor.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

A child dies in Rai Kotu

For the last couple of nights upon walking home, we noticed a big group of people sitting outside under tarpaulin. We wondered what the gathering was in aid of: a wedding or a funeral perhaps. It wasn’t until last night that I noticed the little white piece of material hanging from a stake which signals the death of a child and warns passers-by to be respectful*; a family in our neighbourhood has lost their child. We do not know the circumstances of the child’s death. The public mourning will continue for two weeks.

When little children die, it is usual to say “nia fila” (he/she returns). There is a fairly common belief that when infants die, they are sinless; hence deceased infants can be called “anju oan” (little angles).* Death is ever present in Timor. It is a constant of life here and is impossible to escape. Just in the last week or so we know of the deaths of two children and the death of a seven month old foetus in utero.

* Taken from Peace Corps East Timor Tetun Language Course, first edition 2003, p 133

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Feto ka mane?

Last night’s “mikrolet” journey home produced a memorable moment. My fellow Timorese passengers were talking amongst themselves and asked each other, is the “malae, feto ka mane?” (foreigner, female or male?). Admittedly it was dark and I have very short hair so they can be forgiven for their confusion. However, Timorese insist on speaking about you in Tetun assuming that you cannot understand a word. When I piped up “hau feto” (I am a woman), they were shocked. The “malae” speaks! They all giggled. They then went on to ask where I lived. Upon reflection, if I were just ten years younger, I would have been really offended to have my sex questioned but with age has come a greater acceptance of myself. Now I just see it as really funny that because I do not conform to the female norm, Timorese have to ask themselves “feto ka mane?” It’s also a very good indication of how stifled women are in this society: they do not have the freedom to express their individuality and must adhere to very rigid ideas of what it means to be female. Otherwise they risk social exclusion which in a highly communitarian society such as Timor would have tragic consequences.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)