I have been in Suai for just over a week now running workshops to prepare some of the youth to upload their stories on sms. I have been working at the Youth Centre with Annie Sloman who is fluent in Tetun and who has media and performance training. We have been focussing on basic photography and story writing for the web. The students are writing in Tetun which is an oral language so this is presenting them with some difficulties. Some of them only had their first computer training the week before so it’s a big leap for them. We selected the first stories by allocating topics that would help to elucidate the identity of Suai and themselves.
The big news is that Emanuel Braz came down to meet with the Egy, of YoMaTre and Simao and Alberto of the Community Centre and the Friends of Suai in Suai and Pt Phillip (Pat Jessen) to say that the sponsors have agreed to fund the Media House in Suai. The documents have not been signed off on yet but when they are it will mean a difference, not only to the people of Suai but everybody in the district will have greater access. The Community Centre and the Youth Centre will probably open up Internet Cafes which will provide an alternative to the only Internet Cafe in Suai which is currently monopolised by Timor Telecom, (where I am posting from now).
