Liquica – (26 July 2024), the Division of Education and Training of Centro Nacional Chega!I.P organized a thematic discussion with the lecturers and students at Superior Institute of São João de Brito, Kasait, in Likisa regarding the CAVR report – Chapter V: Resistance, Structure, and Strategy. The purpose was to increase their knowledge about the history of the people of Timor, their struggle for independence, and even the strategies used by the resistance leaders to re-organize the battle after the destruction of the basis.
The speakers of the discussion were Jacinto das Neves Raimundo Alves, a Former Commissioner of CAVR and CVA who was also a political prisoner during the Indonesian occupation, Nugroho Kacasungkana, an author involved in writing Chapter V of the CAVR Report and the Founder of Forum Solidaritas Timor Lorosa’e, (FORTILOS-Indonesia), and Ivo Mateus Gonçalves, a Historical Researcher.
The Board President of Centro Chega!, Manuel Mesquita Pereira, stressed that both reports of the Commission for Reception, Truth, and Reconciliation (CAVR – Portugues acronym) and the Commission of Truth and Friendships CVA) become a bible of the struggle for independence of Timor-Leste, making it become the helpful sources as the rich of a nation.
“Indeed, we are still questioning our true national identity today. Many references and recorded documents regarding the history of the struggle, such as in the report of CAVR, CVA, and Per Memoriam Ad Spem, become a bible of history,” said the Board President in his remark.
Moreover, he appreciated and thanked São João de Brito Institute for establishing good cooperation with CNC I.P in realizing this thematic discussion focused on the CAVR report. The new generations need to know the history of the struggle for independence. Besides, a challenge is that the youngsters do not know much about the history after the independence. It is a sake. The state of Timor-Leste sometimes lacks the seriousness and goodwill to integrate history into all levels of the school curriculum (primaries, secondaries, and universities).
He recognized that there is no history department in the universities in Timor-Leste. For example, we can look at some references from Japan, South Korea, and Cambodia – they integrate history into the education curriculum for all levels of schools aimed at all new generations to learn history. Therefore, we need to integrate CAVR and CVA reports into the education curriculum in Timor-Leste.
This thematic discussion encourages youngsters to search to know, love, and transmit history fluently instead of people from abroad. It helps lecturers and students with deepened knowledge to prepare the new generations to transmit history based on the facts and historical values regarding the struggle for independence process. Today is a globalization era, various complex digitalization, and technologies regarding the information and lessons sometimes unverified with the historical facts for transmission to new generations – it is a challenge.
Thus, the Board President of the Council of Administration appreciated the initiatives and cooperation between CNC I.P and SJB in conducting this thematic discussion. It shows goodwill that can inspire other institutions within the Timor-Leste to track.
(Media CNC)
