Cry for Freedom

This image was painted by El Diablo (The Devil), a small group of approximately 20 men in the suburb Bairo Pite in Dili. The image illustrates how notions of freedom for many East Timorese were, and continue to be, closely connected to the church. This image is part of a montage of pictures on a wall that adjoins the clubhouse of the group. Despite their name, El Diablo’s activities and artwork are faithful to notions of education and use positive religious iconography.

Man in bottom

This image is found in the Dili suburb of Vila Verde. It dates back to early 2000. More humorous than other images produced at that time, this picture serves as a metaphorical description of Indonesia’s occupation, with East Timor assuming the role of the squashed figure inside the bottom of the hulking yellow individual who could possibly be the Javanese wayang character Semar.

Lose one, get two

The building on which this image is painted used to be a community health meeting room in the district of Liquica. The phrase ‘Esa hilang dua terbilang’ (for every one lost, two more will take their place) is the motto of Kodam Siliwangi, a division of the Indonesian army that was formed in West Java during the fight for Indonesian independence. The slogan originally has positive connotations. However, in the context of East Timor it is associated with fear. This graffiti was written by troops from the Indonesian Brimob (Brigade Mobil, or Mobile Brigade), and served as an unfriendly reminder of the violence of the Indonesian occupation. According to a group of young people and a community health practitioner who had worked in the building, the text refers to what the Indonesian soldiers would do if an East Timorese citizen escaped their capture: if one individual escaped, two would be captured, tortured or murdered to compensate for the loss.