Photojournalism Exhibition - East Timor

The exhibit, which was televised by national broadcaster TV Timor Loro sa'e, used photography to communicate cultural messages about the East Timorese people. The event was the culmination of a three-week intensive photojournalism training programme for East Timorese newspaper professionals. Sixteen photojournalists representing seven media organisations from the districts of Same, Oecussi, Maliana and from the capital were trained.

Three East Timorese photojournalists who participated in the exhibit were honoured by an international panel of judges for outstanding images in the following categories: "Most Impactful Image," "Most Meaningful Interpretation of East Timor," and "Most Creative Composition." In addition to these awards, the weekly Timorese newspaper, Cidadaun, was honoured for "Best Use of Photography by an East Timorese Publication."

Cultural identity, Political Development.

The photography exhibit, which was held in the Internews offices in Dili, drew a crowd of approximately 300 people, including Timorese luminaries such as human rights activist Jose Filipe, UNESCO Representative Martin Hadlow, and United Nations Transitional Administrator in East Timor Sergio Viera de Melo.

East Timorese photographers are playing a role shaping the way the Timorese--and the rest of the world--view the new nation. As a result of the photojournalism training and exhibit, the photographers were invited by the country's Constituent Assembly to exhibit their work in the halls of the national legislature and to take the official historical portrait of the 88 men and women drafting the nation's Constitution.

The photojournalists produced a large format calendar for 2002 entitled "Finding Our Voice," which offered visual interpretations of contemporary East Timor by some of the country's up-and-coming photographers.