Suai Media Space

The little girl and little boy who recite their short histories of Timor Leste on the Ninth Anniversary of the Santa Cruz Massacre on November 12, 2000 in Portuguese and Tetun tell their own story.

Episodes 1 & 2

A Mother’s Lament at the Ninth Anniversary of the Santa Cruz Massacre comes as a surprise to everybody. When this woman burst from the crowd I think she spoke for many in the voice suppressed by the order of the day. Since I video taped this footage I learned that this woman lost three children in the Santa Cruz Massacre on November 12, 1991. Little wonder she felt justified in letting her feelings fly and appeals to God for a reason.

Episodes 1 & 3

November 11, 2008

Video Letter to Suai 1. ‘Seeking the Light’

Next Two Episodes

Dear Friends in Suai – Adriano, Lucinda and Fernando, Sergio, Juliana, Snr and Senora da Costa, Senr and Senora Felix, Ergilio and Simao, Graci and Alberto, the two Lins, Jemi, Tersa, Chamot, Antonio – too many to name,

Today I write to you on Remembrance Day in Australia November 11, 2008. Today our whole country remembers the thousands of young men who died in Europe in World War 1. Tomorrow your whole country will remember the 271 young men and women who died in Dili at the Santa Cruz Cemetry on November 12, 1991. This letter is dedicated to peace.

The full text of this letter can be found under The Documentaries/Correspondences:Video Letters to and from Suai.

One of the tasks of this site is to help bring justice to the people of East Timor by keeping memories of the atrocities against them alive through ‘Acts of Remembrance’. My friendship with East Timor began with a massacre – the Suai Church Massacre.

Veronica carrying her commemorative tais in a massive procession from St Motael Church to the Santa Cruz Cemetry November 12, 2000

This November 12, 2007 is the 15th Anniversary of the Santa Cruz Massacre. Follow this link to learn the published history www.etan.org/timor/SntaCRUZ.htm. This moment in East Timor’s history is particularly sad, for East Timor lost 271 young teenagers and students. Either dead or missing it left many people with the loss of all their children and no bodies around which to build a mourning process.

The woman in the procession carrying the tais is Veronica Pereira. In an extraordinary act of love and remembrance Veronica wove five tais with the names of all the youth who died or disappeared into them, to create an everlasting symbol of their sacrifice. The documentary about Veronica will be uploaded next year under the title ‘Returning the Tais’ to Timor.

Social Events
This weekend about twenty young Timorese who are in Melbourne are performing a play written by Filomena dos Reis that she describes as “telling the story of the Timorese youth of the past, present and future.“