DILI, 19 september 2022 (TATOLI)- Timorese Resistance Archive and Museum (TRAM), has drawn 118 USD of its income from international tourist visits.
Director of Unity Education and Culture, Alvaro R. Vasconcelos said they welcomed over 118 international tourists from different countries visiting Dili on the 15 of September saying the 118 tourists were traveling with ‘La Laperouse’Cruise ship from Australia.
“ We welcomed over 118 international visitors from different countries who arrived in Dili with ‘La Laperouse’ ship, they visited Timorese Resistance Archive and Museum at the same day they arrived and we collected around $118,’’ Director of Unity Education and Culture, Alvaro R. Vasconcelos told TATOLI at his office, Colmera this Monday.
Most people know that The Timorese Resistance Archive and Museum provides an overview of the resistance struggle of the Timorese people during the Indonesian occupation. It has interesting audio-visual exhibitions evoking key moments and figures.
According to Vasconcelos, the tourist who visited the TRAM, they provided complete information and an introduction to the history of Timor-Leste’s resistance.
Vasconcelos revealed that many tourists were very interested to learn about the history of Timor-Leste, while some of them expressed their huge sadness at the loss of the Timorese people that struggle for independence and were murdered with injustice.
“Most of the tourists were very interested in the histories regarding the Timorese people that struggle in last 1975, while some of them express their huge sadness regarding the loss of Timorese who were murdered with injustice. Even though their visit were very short time but they learn many histories in TRAM,”
Meanwhile The Executive Director of Timorese Resistance Archive and Museum, HAMAR Antoninho B Alves said before the pandemic hit the world and hit the country, TRAM welcomed around 200 to 400 visitors every day, saying these visitors were including local and international visitors.
“The entrance fee was One USD per person, while for the students the cost of entrance fee was 0.25 cent, so the total collected revenue in 2017 to 2018 was $500,”
So far, The museum is housed in the former Portuguese Timor court of justice building which was burnt down during the 1999 East Timorese Crisis. The building spans an area of 1,325 m2 with a 1,165 m2 courtyard. The architect for the renovation of the building was Tânia Bettencourt Correia.
The museum was opened on 7 December 2005. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri and Former President and Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao.
The main space of the AMRT is occupied by an exhibit entitled “To Resist is to Win,” depicting the history of Timorese armed and clandestine resistance to Indonesian military rule. It aims to make the history of the resistance struggle better known, evoking its main moments and protagonists, using modern museological trends and, whenever possible, audio-visual sources. The exhibit is captioned in Tetum, Portuguese, and English.
The museum also houses temporary exhibits on aspects of resistance movement history.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia Borges
