From occupation to independence: contemporary East Timorese history and identity in Portuguese picturebooks

In Portugal, the suffering and struggle of the East Timorese people for independence started a social movement of solidarity with strong repercussions in the arts, namely music and literature. Children’s Literature depicted the theme of this period of oppression in East Timor, as well as the recogni...

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Main Author: Ana Margarida Ramos
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Gdańsk 2016-05-01
Series:Problemy Wczesnej Edukacji
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Online Access:https://czasopisma.bg.ug.edu.pl/index.php/pwe/article/view/792
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author Ana Margarida Ramos
author_facet Ana Margarida Ramos
author_sort Ana Margarida Ramos
collection DOAJ
description In Portugal, the suffering and struggle of the East Timorese people for independence started a social movement of solidarity with strong repercussions in the arts, namely music and literature. Children’s Literature depicted the theme of this period of oppression in East Timor, as well as the recognition of its independence and its right to freedom, in a picturebook selected for the White Ravens List in 2003 called East Timor – Island of the Rising Sun (2001), by João Pedro Mésseder and André Letria. This unusual picturebook, characterised by a very simple and sparse, almost poetic, text combined with large-format pictures, depicts this chapter of the contemporary history of East Timor in very specific way, resembling fairy tales or legends. The text and images are combined in order to promote symbolic readings, suggesting a magical/mystical environment that impresses readers. More than a decade later, recent struggles and stories from East Timor are still present in Portuguese picturebooks such as Lya/Lia (2014), by Margarida Botelho. The social change, path to democracy and educational development, as well as daily life and children’s pastimes are now the centre of a narrative that establishes the similarities and differences between modern-day Portugal and East Timor. Our aim is to analyse both the political and ideological perspectives present in these picturebooks aimed at very young readers, offering a broad vision of different realities and contexts, even when they deal with war, death and suffering, as was the case of the East Timorese fight for independence.
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spelling doaj-art-b60ebf550d9a4c708c4b6c44dcbb26aa2025-02-11T11:24:35ZengUniversity of GdańskProblemy Wczesnej Edukacji1734-15822451-22302016-05-01343From occupation to independence: contemporary East Timorese history and identity in Portuguese picturebooksAna Margarida Ramos0CIDTFF – University of AveiroIn Portugal, the suffering and struggle of the East Timorese people for independence started a social movement of solidarity with strong repercussions in the arts, namely music and literature. Children’s Literature depicted the theme of this period of oppression in East Timor, as well as the recognition of its independence and its right to freedom, in a picturebook selected for the White Ravens List in 2003 called East Timor – Island of the Rising Sun (2001), by João Pedro Mésseder and André Letria. This unusual picturebook, characterised by a very simple and sparse, almost poetic, text combined with large-format pictures, depicts this chapter of the contemporary history of East Timor in very specific way, resembling fairy tales or legends. The text and images are combined in order to promote symbolic readings, suggesting a magical/mystical environment that impresses readers. More than a decade later, recent struggles and stories from East Timor are still present in Portuguese picturebooks such as Lya/Lia (2014), by Margarida Botelho. The social change, path to democracy and educational development, as well as daily life and children’s pastimes are now the centre of a narrative that establishes the similarities and differences between modern-day Portugal and East Timor. Our aim is to analyse both the political and ideological perspectives present in these picturebooks aimed at very young readers, offering a broad vision of different realities and contexts, even when they deal with war, death and suffering, as was the case of the East Timorese fight for independence. https://czasopisma.bg.ug.edu.pl/index.php/pwe/article/view/792picturebooksideologypoliticalcontemporary historyEast Timor
spellingShingle Ana Margarida Ramos
From occupation to independence: contemporary East Timorese history and identity in Portuguese picturebooks
Problemy Wczesnej Edukacji
picturebooks
ideology
political
contemporary history
East Timor
title From occupation to independence: contemporary East Timorese history and identity in Portuguese picturebooks
title_full From occupation to independence: contemporary East Timorese history and identity in Portuguese picturebooks
title_fullStr From occupation to independence: contemporary East Timorese history and identity in Portuguese picturebooks
title_full_unstemmed From occupation to independence: contemporary East Timorese history and identity in Portuguese picturebooks
title_short From occupation to independence: contemporary East Timorese history and identity in Portuguese picturebooks
title_sort from occupation to independence contemporary east timorese history and identity in portuguese picturebooks
topic picturebooks
ideology
political
contemporary history
East Timor
url https://czasopisma.bg.ug.edu.pl/index.php/pwe/article/view/792
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