Prime Minister presents Mauberíadas in Dili, more than 50 years after its first publication
DÍLI, 18 September 2026 (TATOLI) – Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão attended the presentation of Mauberíadas at the Embassy of Portugal in Dili on September 18, 2026.
The epic poem, which he wrote in 1975, reflects the experiences, identity and realities of the Timorese people during a defining period in the country’s history.
The ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of Portugal to Timor-Leste, Duarte Bué Alves; members of the Government; representatives of the diplomatic corps, institutions, and partners; writers, poets, and other guests.
Mauberíadas was written by José Alexandre Gusmão, the Prime Minister’s birth name, when he was still a young journalist and regularly collaborated with the weekly newspaper A Voz de Timor. The poem was submitted to the 1975 Literary Contest, promoted by the then Portuguese Administration through the Information and Tourism Centre, under the theme “Culture is the Freedom of the People”.
The contest, launched on February 24th, 1975, had among its objectives the “affirmation of an authentic Timorese culture” and “contributing to the study and publication of the History of Timor”. José Alexandre Gusmão received first prize for the poem Mauberíadas, which was subsequently published in A Voz de Timor on May 17th of that year.
In the work, Xanana Gusmão draws on the Portuguese-language poetic tradition, particularly Os Lusíadas, to reflect on Timor, its people, their suffering, hope, identity, and the nation’s destiny.
During the presentation, the Prime Minister recalled that Timor-Leste was entering a period of major transformation and highlighted the importance of the word “Maubere” to the identity and dignity of the Timorese people.
“Timor-Leste went through a long historical period that included conflict, suffering, occupation, resistance, and the struggle for independence. In this process, culture, language, poetry, and history helped the people not to forget their identity and the historical path they had travelled”, stated Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão.
The Head of Government also highlighted the link between national development and preserving memory and identity.
“A nation cannot be built solely on roads, buildings, and infrastructure. A nation must also be built on memory, culture, education, and its own capacity to think,” he stated.
The Prime Minister thanked everyone who contributed to the publication and dissemination of the work and encouraged young Timorese to continue reading, writing, and deepening their knowledge of the country’s history and culture.
The current edition of Mauberíadas was launched on October 17th, 2024, in the auditorium of the headquarters of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) in Lisbon, during the Prime Minister’s official visit to Portugal.
At the ceremony in Dili, Ambassador Duarte Bué Alves highlighted literature’s role in preserving historical memory and in strengthening the cultural and linguistic ties between Timor-Leste and Portugal.
“Mauberíadas takes readers back to an important moment in Timor-Leste’s history, when the author was still young and wrote this work in 1975,” the diplomat stated.
The Director-General of Plural Editores Timor-Leste, Hélder Carvalho, referred to the institution’s work in the country over the past 12 years and to ongoing cooperation with Timorese institutions to promote reading and written culture.
“This experience reinforces the need for close cooperation between public and private institutions to promote reading, knowledge, and a written culture,” he stated.
The presentation of Mauberíadas in Dili, more than five decades after its first publication, made it possible to revisit the context in which the poem was written and to bring the work closer to new generations of readers through a text that is linked to the historical memory and identity of Timor-Leste.
TATOLI
