DILI, 12 december 2025 (TATOLI) – President and Nobel Peace Laureate, Jose Ramos-Horta, presided over the award ceremony for the “Peace-building through Public Art” Competition at the Nicolau Lobato Presidential Palace.
The event highlighted the transformative power of art in fostering national unity and regional harmony, aligning with Timor-Leste’s historic accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The national competition, an initiative of the Presidency of the Republic through the Arts & Culture and Support to Education, with technical support from the Secretariat of State for Art and Culture (SEAC), engaged artists from all municipalities. Participants were tasked with creating public art that serves as a vehicle for collective expression and a symbol of cultural identity, thereby strengthening social cohesion and active citizenship in alignment with ASEAN values.
The ceremony culminated a nearly two-month process, recognizing artistic excellence and the vital role of public art as a catalyst for social transformation.
The winners of the “Peace-building through Public Art” Competition are as follows:
➤ 1st Place ($1,500): Díli Municipality
(Artists: Nélio Eusébio de Fátima Baptista, Nomerio F. S. Santos Correia, Raimundo Faustino and Avelino Lourenço Pires)
➤ 2nd Place ($1,000): Liquiça Municipality
(Artists: Romualdo dos Santos da Silva, Higino Martins da Silva, Jeremias Duarte Bano, and David Sousa Ramalho)
➤ 3rd Place ($800): Manufahi Municipality
(Artists: Riqui Ricardo L. de Jesus, Luís Gonzaga da Silva Fernandes, Rovaldo Francisco de Jesus Ximenes and Angelino da Costa M. Pereira)
➤ 4th Place ($600): Lautém Municipality
(Artists: Alfionito de Mardino Freitas, Zelindo Fernandes, César Augusto Soares Lourdes, Renato Paunu Z. de Oliveira Isaac and Izaias A. Ego Titi Lopes)
In honoring the artists’ creativity and commitment, President Ramos-Horta stated:
“These powerful works of public art are more than mere decoration; they are vibrant testaments to our national spirit and our enduring pursuit of peace. As we step onto the ASEAN stage, they visually articulate our shared values of unity and creative resilience, building bridges of understanding that start in our communities and extend across the region.”
The event also featured a screening of the documentary Building Peace through Public Art, produced by SMNews, and a photographic exhibition produced by the Presidency of the Republic through Social Communications Service, showcasing the artworks. This initiative reinforces Timor-Leste’s image as a creative nation, deeply committed to the founding values of ASEAN and to leveraging culture as a pillar of national identity and peacebuilding.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
