Dili – (25th of April 2024), the Public Institute of Centro Nacional Chega!I.P organized the Arts of Peace event with the theme “Peaceful Flowers” through Mural Arts to commemorate the 50th year of the Carnation Revolution at the 25th of April Street, Colmera, Dili.
The purpose of the activity was to demonstrate the memory and lessons from the history of the past through arts for the new generations as part of intergenerational memory transmission. It created visual and aesthetic communication to the communities as a peace campaign to attract the public’s attention and even increase their knowledge on implementing Chega! and PMAS recommendations. In this event, Timorese youth and artists were involved as peace promotors, human rights protectors, means of citizenship education on peace promotion, and human rights protections.
On the 25th of April 1974, the Carnation Revolution forced Portugal to announce its political decolonization by providing freedom to the Ultramarine Province, including Timor Portuguese, to decide its dream. The democratic process had a significant impact on socio-politics situations in Timor Portuguese. In addition, the people of Timor were free to establish political parties with different liberation bases and principles. The decolonization process was a demand from the Carnation Revolution on the 25th of April 1974 that was unable to be filled up by Portugal. Hence, the people of Timor were involved in internal conflicts between 1974 -1975 and continued to 1975-1999 during the Indonesian invasion.
The conflicts that occurred between 1974 – 1999 had a significant consequence on Timorese. They still faced violence and fear and used power as their preference for solving problems. Yet, the Popular Consultation on the 30th of August 1999 led the invasion of Timor-Leste to end.
In 2000, the state of Timor-Leste established the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR)-Chega!, and submitted its reports and recommendations in 2005. The Commission for Truth and Friendship (CVA) was established in 2005 by the states of Timor-Leste and Indonesia and submitted its report and recommendations in 2008. Both reports even stated that Conflict Prevention and Community Reconciliation guarantee the commitment to end the cycles of conflict or violence among Timorese due to past violence and to re-establish the culture of peace within the societies.
(Media CNC)
