Their last trip was to Atauro, an island 25km north of Dili, where they were rolling out the Myths and Murals project. These lads get around. Thanks to Mariano Goncalves from Arte Moris for these pics.

From 18-20 January, Illi and Gil will collaborate on a mural with young Melburnians and the Blender Studios to bring a taste of Myths and Murals into Melbourne’s Literature Lane. From Gleno to Maliana, Baucau to Atauro and now Melbourne, the artists of Arte Moris are sharing a rich cultural identity in a post United Nations East Timor (they left in December). It’s great to have them around.

Okay, phase 2 of The Boy and the Crocodile. How are we going to distribute the books all over East Timor? Enter Chris Parkinson, author and photographer behind a book we published a few years ago, Peace of Wall, which tells the story of East Timor through its street art.

Together (although the best bits were Chris’s ideas), we hatched a plan for a new project, called Myths & Murals. And we’re delighted to say that after nearly six months of planning and four major partnerships secured (with the University of Melbourne and the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade in Australia, and Arte Moris and the Alola Foundation in East Timor) we have lift off!

Over the next 16 months, we are embarking on the massive undertaking of distributing the books to each of the 13 far-flung districts of East Timor. Not only are we delivering books to every school, as well as libraries and community centres across the country, but we (ie. a team of artists from Arte Moris) will be regaling kids the length and breadth of East Timor with workshops on story-telling, creating art and the story of this book itself. And in the main town of each district, we are going to engage with older youth and create large-scale collaborative murals depicting scenes from their creation myth, The Boy and the Crocodile’. These will be on the exterior walls of libraries and other public buildings and will symbolically unite the country in a common sense of national identity.

Aid literacy (tick), promote harmony (tick), celebrate story (tick) and help forge a national identity (tick). We couldn’t be happier, and thanks to the hundreds of people who pre-purchased the book and made the Tetum version possible. Chris is in East Timor this week, rolling out the project. Stay tuned to see the fruits of your efforts.

*Remember – kids in East Timor have precious few books in Tetum, their de facto lingua franca. And half the adult population is illiterate. The country’s greatest challenge is uniting the people behind one flag. The creation myth of The Boy and the Crocodile and the language of Tetum are two of the few things they do have in common.

Martin Hughes, Affirm Press

Arte Moris will be running music, art and fun educational activities, plus a screening of ‘the making of’ videos that were shot on location at Familia Hope way back when this project all began…

Last weekend, we were affronted with a far-less-friendly perspective on the role that the crocodile plays in East Timor, through a report detailing a rise in salt water croc numbers and associated attacks.

Throughout the Portuguese colonial period and the Indonesian occupation, it was common to hunt crocodiles, and routine culling was carried out. But now, with their new-found independence, the crocs are no longer being killed. As illustrated in The Boy and the Crocodile, and repeated across Timor in this legend, crocodiles hold a special place in the history, culture and oral traditions of East Timor.

As a result, the country’s croc population has grown considerably, to the point that it’s becoming a genuine threat to the people of Timor and their livestock. It’s been reported that on average, crocodiles kill one East Timorese person per month.

So, there are clearly two sides to the crocodile in East Timor – the respect and love for the legend of the crocodile, and then the terrifying fact that those crocs are hunting for food around their ocean homes.

The growth in croc numbers and subsequent attacks is also detrimental to the development of tourism in East Timor – particularly the promotion of diving along the country’s coast. In response to the problem, the Timorese government has established  a ‘crocodile taskforce’ who are being trained by professional croc-wranglers in the Northern Territory. Their aim is not to kill the crocs, but to trap and remove the threat to the population. The task force are also looking at the strategies employed by the Territory for monitoring crocodile numbers, so that Timor can continue to build on its developing tourism industry.

This Saturday is an exciting day for East Timor: the people are voting to select a president and parliament for the third time since the nation gained independence in 2001.

It’s only the first round of elections, so it won’t all be over by next week. But if the election process is fair and peaceful, it will mean that both the United Nations and the Australia and New Zealand Army will withdraw, and East Timor will be another step closer to running their own country.

While the campaign hasn’t been without upset, from all reports, the country is much calmer than when voters went to the polls last in 2007. We’ll be staying tuned.

This weekend, Arte Moris will celebrate their 9th birthday!

If you’re not familiar with Arte Moris, they’re a not-for-profit arts school, gallery and cultural centre in Dili, and also the folk who were indispensable in the making of The Boy and the Crocodile (read all about our trip to visit them here). The school uses art and creative expression to ignite interest in Timorese culture, and to create a national identity of which all East Timorese can be proud.

So, here’s to many more. Hip, hip, hoorah!

If you find yourself in Dili this Saturday, join Arte Moris in their birthday celebrations.  All the details for the event are here.

We’re mighty impressed with this project, Cinema Loro Sa’e, from the wonderful folk over at the Sun Theatre in Yarraville. Throughout 2011, they travelled a free, outdoor movie programme across  Timor, from Dili to regional districts, bringing the magic of the silver screen to over 45,000 people.

They hope to continue the programme in 2012, kicking off with a fundraiser screening of the charming Africa United at Sun Theatre. A ticket to the premier gets you sparkling on arrival, popcorn and door prizes, as well as big warm and fuzzies for being a part of it all.

You can purchase tickets here.

Africa United premiers on Wednesday 7 March, and will screen exclusively for its season at Sun Theatre.