DILI, 29 december 2023 (TATOLI) – The Minister of Education, Dulce de Jesus Soares, on thursday launched a book titled: “O Conhecimento e um fator importante para desenvolvimento em Timor-Leste” (Knowledge is critical to Timor-Leste’s development) at the Centro Nacional Chega! (CNC), in Dili.
The book, written by a Timorese woman writer Rosália de Jesus Pereira (27), pays tribute to the national heroes, including President Nicolau Lobato, Francisco Xavier, and so on.
Minister Soares, said the content of the book was very interesting because it described the contributions and sacrifices of national leaders who fought bravely for Timor-Leste’s independence.
“This book is a historical reference for the new generation to know and appreciate the sacrifices of Timor Leste’s heroes in fighting for independence,” Soares said on the sidelines of the book launch.
She added that the book will help the students to learn about history and national leaders and as a way to develop children’s reading habit.
Meanwhile, the book’s author, Rosália Pereira, said that the idea of writing this book is to motivate and promote the habit of reading among young people, as well as to challenge others to seriously take writing a career.
The 27-year-old from Laga, Baucau municipality, also emphasized that the book is a tribute to a group of generous young people, fighters, and dreamers led by Francisco Xavier do Amaral and Nicolau dos Reis Lobato, and others, who officially declared Timor-Leste’s independence on November 28, 1975.
Rosália Pereira, currently a final semester student of the Public Administration major at Universidade da Paz (UNPAZ) or the University of Peace in Dili, said she started writing the book in 2018, which consists of 15 pages written in Tetum and translated into Portuguese, English, and Indonesian.
More than 400 copies of this book have been published and are available at the Centro Nacional Chega! (CNC) library, in Balide, Dili.
Journalist: Camilo de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
