| Place | Asia: Timor |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ART91195 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | sheet: 127.4 x 82.6 cm; image: 95.8 x 68.7 cm |
| Object type | Poster |
| Physical description | digital print on paper |
| Maker |
Abadee, Solomon Mackinolty, Chips Ritchie, Therese |
| Place made | Australia: Northern Territory, Darwin |
| Date made | 1999 |
| Conflict |
East Timor, 1999-2013 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: AWM Licensed copyright |
Remember East Timor; Hadomi Timor rebuild East Timor
Description
'Hadomi East Timor; Rebuild East Timor!' expresses the artists concern that the people of East Timor regain full independence from Indonesia and improved civil conditions and called on Australians to remember East Timor.
It features two East Timorese children in traditional dress and weaving by a senior Timorese woman then a member of the Timorese diaspora in Darwin. The image was originally created by the artists in 1995 for the 20th Anniversary of the 1975 invasion of Timor Loro Sae by the Indonesian Army. Made into t-shirts and a Christmas Card it was sold to raise funds for medical supplies to the resistance in Timor Loro Sae.
In 1999 a group of women from Timor Loro Sae, refugees based in Darwin after the collapse of order following the independence vote, formed HAFETI- a women's peace and independence group. The artists created this poster adapting the slogan slightly to raise funds for HAFETI who were working to support reconstruction in East Timor.
Australia had significant involvement in Peacekeeping in East Timor in 2000, leading the International Force for East Timor, and the Australian War Memorial appointed two official war artists to Timor the same year. The public response to this issue in Australia has been significant and controversial. This poster is one of a number produced to increase public awareness for the view arguably held by many Australians that the East Timorese people should be given assistance by Australia.
The poster was a finalist in the 11th Festival d'affiches de Chaumont 'L'engagement politique et social' in France in May 2000 and was awarded the 25th annual Shell Fremantle Print Award (2000). The award judges noted in the exhibition catalogue: 'The poster raises awareness of a current major political issue, but more importantly, reminds us that it is human beings, particularly children, that must face the full impact of war or disaster. It is a vital and compelling image, evoking an automatic response of humanity in the viewer.'