Government of Timor-Leste

The Ministry of Social Solidarity (MSS), together with a team composed of the Secretariat of State for Former National Liberation Combatant Affairs (Portuguese acronym SEAACLN) and the 12^th of November Committee, announced, at a press conference on October 18, the opening of an open competition for the best drawing of the national monument dedicated to the 12^th of November of 1991 Massacre, and where the location for its construction will be the Santa Cruz cemetery. The competition is open until October 29th and intends to gather 10 drawings, after passing through the selection criteria.

The President of the 12^th of November Committee, Gregório Saldanha, informed that “the criteria the participants have to take into account are: to have national citizenship (individual or collective), to be a resident in the country or abroad, the drawing should be made on paper with a minimum A3 format, the drawing can be presented in the form of draft or other format such as: Autocad or others with an A3 dimension, the drawing should be delivered bound or in electronic format”.

Besides these criteria, according to Gregório Saldanha, there are others: the drawing should contain historical, cultural and religious value, should also reflect the heroic, patriotic nationalist spirit of the youth at that time, should maintain the equilibrium between traditional and modern architecture, should have an artistic view of the architectural part, of spatial planning, counting on the geographic and historical aspect, especially in what concerns the event of the 12^th of November 1991. It should contain educative and touristic value, ensure the use of the national resistance symbol that the Asuwain Lorico youth used at the time and lastly, it is necessary to refer that there isn’t a restriction to the type of construction materials to be use. The committee President referred that there is a Timorese Resistance Archive & Museum, where the National Resistance historical objects are archived, in particularly on the 12^th of November 1991 and that this can be a place for consultation.

The 10 best drawings will be attributed a prize according to the classification: to the winner the sum of US$10,000, to the second a prize the sum of US$ 4,000, to the third a prize the sum of US$ 3,000, the fourth can count with the sum of US$ 2,000 and the remaining six with the sum of US$ 1,500. The Committee President informed that the prizes will be delivered on the 12th of November celebration day.

The juri of the competition will be composed of politicians, youth leaders, 12 of November 1991 survivors, religious members, historians, civil construction technicians, architects, legal persons and members of civil society.