Suai Media Space

I met Filomena when she was in Suai for the First Anniversary of the Suai Church Massacre in September 2000. She was directing a re-enactment of that massacre to assist with the healing of the people of Suai. The re-enactment was accompanied by an appeal, to the international community present, for justice.

I didn’t see Filomena again until 2005 briefly when she was here for a conference. The first film I made titled ‘The Circle of Stones’ intercuts Filomena’s play with the story of the Suai Church Massacre and the grieving taking place in front of Our Lady of Fatima Church in Suai where the massacre took place. I had sent her a copy of the video and I knew somehow that she had taken it to the U.S. in 2002 when she made a tour of that country saying “the women of East Timor are screaming for justice” . I think I read an article in the paper titled ‘Screaming for Justice’.

On this trip Filomena stayed with me and told me a lot more about that film and how she used it. When she was invited to speak to the U.S. Senate Filomena elected to screen ‘The Circle of Stones’. We are still waiting for justice. Filomena has a funny story to tell about this so I’m looking forward to her telling here in this space in the near future.

On Jen’s verandah Nov.2007

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.“