-Promotion of strengthening of regional ties and peace enhancement in Dili, Timor-Leste-
On July 31st, the Peace Wall-painting Project, organized by the international peace organization HWPL started at the Xanana Sports Centre in Dili, Timor-Leste. Eight organizations participated in this event, including the Timor-Leste Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Dili City, Timor-Leste Youth Parliament, Timor-Leste Non-Governmental Organization Forum, Arte Moris, and Vinod Patel Group and the volunteers are joined the paintings. HWPL’s Global Peace branch 04 arranged this event with the aim of promoting community development and enhancing peace in Timor-Leste through mural painting.
According to The America Times, President J. Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste, who is also a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, expressed the following thoughts during the 18th Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity: “Timor-Leste has gone through significant stages to acquire ASEAN membership. Becoming a member of ASEAN is a strategic objective to achieve regional economic integration, peace, and inclusive prosperity. Timor-Leste is implementing institutional, policy, and regulatory reforms while enhancing human resource development to create new opportunities in the economy and address regional challenges through cooperation and mutual respect. Timor-Leste and ASEAN member countries seek to promote sustainable peace and development by sharing proactive inter-regional strategies that encompass social, cultural, and economic dimensions.”
Iliwatu Danabere, Director of Arte Moris said, “Our motivation in participating in the Public Peace Art Project is because the project is aligned with our vision to promote peace through art. It was very important for the continuation of promoting peace through public art during the civil crisis in 2006, but now it’s happening in a peaceful environment and engaging wider collaboration between artists and huge groups of youth and community. It is also the best opportunity for us to keep promoting peace through public art because we believe that peace has to be looked after like a plant with passion and love.”
The event proceeded in the following order: HWPL introduction, Peace-Wall painting Ceremony, and congratulatory message. Under the theme of “Love Myself, Love Family, Love Country, Love Peace and HWPL,” the wall is going to be created as an attractive and meaningful work. This sought to heal the citizens of Timor-Leste, sow seeds of love, and bring the local community together.
Furthermore, this project will serve as a catalyst not only to improve the aesthetics of the city, but also to contribute to the development of the tourism industry, economic growth, and community identity.
In 2023, HWPL plans to engage in discussions with local community stakeholders of Timor-Leste to explore avenues for regional development and peace and will continue collaboration with them to achieve peace in the region. Moreover, HWPL’s initiatives will not be limited to Dili city; it will expand its peace activities in various regions of Timor-Leste through endeavors such as Peace-Wall painting, interfaith collaboration, and peace education.