Dili, February 13, 2026 – Centro Nacional Chega!I.P conducted a 4-day training session (February 10-13) for lecturers from various universities and institutes, including Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e (UNTL), Universidade Dili (UNDIL), Instituto Superior Cristal (ISC), and Instituto São João de Brito (ISJB). The training focused on “Memory Pedagogy: Teaching Human Rights and Social Justice with Chega! – Exchange for Change Approaches.” Its objective was to enhance lecturers’ knowledge of the Chega! Module, thereby deepening their understanding of the context of human rights violations in Timor-Leste. The program aimed to promote student-centered learning approaches as effective and participatory teaching methods, encouraging the use of educational resources and archives from Centro Chega!.
In his opening remarks, Hugo Maria Fernandes, Executive Director of Centro Chega!, emphasized the significance of the training aimed at enhancing lecturers’ understanding of the Chega! Module. This module focused on history and memory, peace and conflict, human rights, and transitional justice. It is not intended to instruct the lecturers but to familiarize them with the Chega! Module, equipping them with valuable knowledge. We hope that upon their return, they will implement this module at their universities, allowing it to serve as an introductory or transversal subject, as history is an integral part of our identity.
“We’re proud of being Timorese. One thing is our culture and history. We can proudly state that we have a long history of struggle, one that has involved countless individuals and groups. It’s neither one nor two people, and it’s neither one nor two groups. This shared experience should serve as a foundation for building and strengthening our identity,” remarked the Executive Director during his opening at the conference room, Antigo Comarca Balide on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
The Executive Director encouraged lecturers to engage in Writing Reflective Essays, which is currently open at Centro Chega!. Once successfully pass the selection process, t will have the opportunity to take part in training and gain access to historical documents preserved in the Chega! Archives based on their chosen specific topics.
Centro Chega! preserved over 50,000 testimonies from victims regarding human rights violations, investigation reports on crimes committed during the Indonesian occupation, public hearing reports, community reconciliation processes, judicial processes involving political prisoners during the Indonesian occupation, correspondence and documents from foreign governments concerning the conflict between 1974-1999, as well as photographs and videos of historical events, and other pertinent materials.
At the time, Joanina da C. Guterres, an UNDIL Lecturer, expressed her enthusiasm for participating in the training, recognizing the importance of the Chega! module, which focuses on history and memory, peace and conflict, human rights, and transitional justice. As a Timorese, she emphasized the necessity of understanding the history of Timor-Leste, as it is integral to our identity.
“I gained a great deal from attending this training, especially regarding the history of Timor-Leste and the people who committed crimes against the people of Timor. During our visit to Museum Chega!, I felt a deep sadness as I entered the Dark Cells; it was a poignant experience. Our path to independence was fraught with suffering. After this training, I am eager to share this essential history with the people of Timor”. Thanked Joanina.
Moises Martins da Costa, a lecturer at UNTL, expressed great enthusiasm for the training. He noted, “The training is a genuine science that has finally become part of our history. If we do not study history, there is no representation of Timor-Leste’s image, especially as new generations remain unaware of it. We must pass this knowledge on to them. As educators at universities, it is our responsibility to share what we have learned with our students. In the Department of International Relations, we do offer a history course that covers topics like the Second World War; however, there is no absence of any course focusing on the history of the independence of Timor-Leste.”
Centro Chega! has provided training for lecturers to reaffirm its role as a leading educational reference on memory, truth, and social justice in Timor-Leste. By employing student-centered pedagogical approaches that utilize concrete resources, such as films and historical site visits, the universities can help foster critical, sensible, and responsible new generations attuned to human rights.
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