Suai Media Space

At a meeting of stakeholders initiated by the Friends of Suai and held in Suai in August, Emanuel Braz representing the International Centre for Journalists is reported as saying that ICFJ were not setting up a new Regional Media House in Suai. The ICFJ were aiming to support the Youth Media Centre (YoMaTre) to operate as a media house for international journalists in addition to supporting its current activities.

Ergilio Vicente, (Co-ordinator of the Suai Youth Centre) who oversees and manages staff of YoMaTre, reports that “the presence of ICFJ is also to provide Internet access to YoMaTre (at the Youth Centre) and the Community Centre, (the home of the Friends of Suai management and activities in Suai).”
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Regional Media House on the Agenda for Suai

June Meeting about Broadband Access in Suai

(This was written months ago but I forgot to publish it sorry everyone - .

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR SUAI OPENS UP

The first Uma Media Rejional (Regional Media House) has been set up in East Timor to cover the Districts of Baucau, Lautem and Viqueque. Now, thanks to the presence of YoMaTre and the suaimediaspace website, the Regional Media House project team have put Suai on the list for investigating the feasibility of placing one in Suai.

Many friends of East Timor know Emanuel Braz through his work as Co-ordinator of ‘Friends of Bacau’, as well as for his regular presence at gatherings relating to East Timor. Emanuel has been working in East Timor on media development with the International Centre for Journalists since 2006. Emanuel saw the suaimediaspace website and discovered YoMatre, the media group set up by the Suai Media Arts Group with funds and support from the Friends of Suai. The ICFJ Project Team had not been planning to open a Media House in Suai but have now put it on the list for consideration.

Baucau was the first of five media hubs planned for at the district level, to foster community media development and increase the flow of news and information to and from the districts. According to the fact sheet of the Project Team it is expected that at least one other Regional Media House will be set up in the western regions of the country in 2008. Indications are this will be in Suai where the community is disadvantaged by its isolation and lack of Internet access. Its feasibility will depend on further funding and co-operation with Timor Telecom in Suai.

The International Centre for Journalists through the Special Projects Team of the Timor-Leste Media Development Institute (TLMI) in partnership with four national journalism associations is implementing the project.

“The Regional Media House Project will be funded in its set up year by the Strengthening Independent Media Program in Timor-Leste (SIMPTL). It is foreseen that in future Media Houses will be supported and funded through national media fundraising initiatives”. (Fact Sheet SIMPTL)

The Regional Media Houses will offer both professional and logistical support to district-based media outlets and journalists. It will provide training for district journalists, foster new media development initiatives in the area, provide a focal point where local radio stations can go for technical support, link local media to capital media and provide local journalists with access to the Internet and a phone line. Providing low cost local Internet access for the local community through an Internet café is also a possibility.

Emanuel said they hope to link the five houses via the Internet so “there can be a constant flow of information and news around the country”. At this point it is “very expensive but hopefully it will be more affordable towards the end of the year as we hear rumours Timor Telecom may open up for other internet service providers to operate in Timor”.

A meeting is to be held in the next two days in Suai between stakeholders interested in managing Broadband access in Suai.

At a meeting in Suai in June Ergilio Vicente, Simao Barretto and Friends of Suai Co-ordinator in Pt Phillip, Pat Jessen, met with Emanuel Braz, Deputy Country Director of the International Centre for Jouranlists to discuss the imminent broadband connection being brought to Suai by the ‘Uma Media House’ Project. The only Internet connection in Covalima presently is provided by Timor Telecom in Suai. The connection is very slow. The speed and maintenance of the network is an issue.

Despite many attempts, using a range of email service providers, in the YoMaTre Media Workshop in Suai in June, we were unable to email an image to Australia or to upload a single image to this website. It was frustrating in the extreme. Valuable time and money was wasted. It was very disappointing for the students, many of whom didn’t get the opportunity to practice what they had learned, due to the time it took to do simple tasks, taken for granted in Australia. Not to mention the $2.00 an hour paid for the service

After a meeting at the Community Centre and an inspection of the Radio Station Emanuel met with Ergilio at the Youth Centre to discuss the space for placement of the computers next to the YoMaTre Studio adjacent to the Youth Centre.

Following this meeting Pat Jessen met with Simao and Ergilio on separate occasions to discuss placement of the Internet computers, management and financial opportunities that Broadband can bring to their organisations and their community.

On Saturday, John Collins a member of the Friends of Suai Committee in Pt Phillip, left for Suai to attend the meeting between all stakeholders to be held tomorrow and Wednesday. There is no doubt, that Broadband access will be revolutionary for Suai and the rest of Covalima. and hopefully Internet access will be made available for the youth of Suai.

I’m leaving on 3rd June for Suai to work with YoMaTre. We will be discussing this website and where and how we are going on from here. We will be arranging a launch date too.

Apart form the normal planning and discussion I will be working with Annie Sloman, ex Bibi Bulak and community arts worker and YoMaTre. We will be workshopping story telling skills by critically examining our video footage and our photographs and figuring out what stories they tell about us. We will be working together to produce some work for the launch of Suai Media Space. In mid to late June we will be working together on broadband from Dili, so keep checking in to find out more.

Emanuel Braz- one of the movers and shakers behind the Uma Media House Project is in Melbourne at present so we met up and he’s confident YoMaTre will have an Internet connection within the next couple of months! YayH! He will be coming done to Suai in June to meet with the Suai mob and we will be connecting with him in Dili.

That’s Emanuel that Marsha’s leaning on, on the right at METAC 2 years ago.

Emanuel has expressed interest in blogging the Uma Media House story and he’s going to introduce me to Abe Barreto well known Timorese blogger and story-teller from Suai - so stay posted for that too.

Jen

The first Regional Media House has been set up in East Timor to cover the Districts of Baucau, Lautem and Viqueque. Now, thanks - in part - to the presence of YoMaTre and suaimediaspace, the Regional Media House project team have put Suai on the list for investigating the feasibility of placing one in Suai.

Many friends of East Timor know Emanuel Braz through his work as Co-ordinator of ‘Friends of Bacau’, as well as for his regular presence at gatherings in Melbourne relating to East Timor. Emanuel has been working in East Timor on media development with the International Centre for Journalists since 2006. Emanuel saw the suaimediaspace website and discovered YoMatre, the media group set up in Suai with funds and training support from the Friends of Suai. The Project Team had not been planning to open a Media House in Suai but have now put it on the list for consideration.

Baucau was the first of five media hubs planned for at the district level, to foster community media development and increase the flow of news and information to and from the districts. According to the Project Team it is expected that at least one other Regional Media House will be set up in the western regions of the country in 2008. Indications are this will be in Suai where the community is disadvantaged by its isolation and lack of Internet access. Its feasibility will depend on further funding and co-operation with Timor Telecom in Suai.

The International Centre for Journalists through the Special Projects Team of the Timor-Leste Media Development Institute (TLMI) in partnership with four national journalism associations is implementing the project.

“The Regional Media House Project will be funded in its set up year by the Strengthening Independent Media Program in Timor-Leste (SIMPTL). It is foreseen that in future Media Houses will be supported and funded through national media fundraising initiatives”. (Fact Sheet SIMPTL)

The Regional Media Houses will offer both professional and logistical support to district-based media outlets and journalists. It will provide training for district journalists, foster new media development initiatives in the area, provide a focal point where local radio stations can go for technical support, link local media to capital media and provide local journalists with access to the Internet and a phone line. Providing low cost local Internet access for the local community through an Internet café is also a possibility.

Emanuel said they hope to link the five houses via the Internet so “there can be a constant flow of information and news around the country”. At this point it is “very expensive but hopefully it will be more affordable towards the end of the year as we hear rumours Timor Telecom may open up for other internet service providers to operate in Timor”.