x ABSTRACT
CUIMBRA, ANSELMO. Timorese in Search of Freedom seen in Xanana
Gusmao’s Poems.Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
The main sources were taken from the Xanana Gusmao‟s poems “I am at Waring”, Oh! Freedom!”, during Portuguese rule and Suharto‟s military occupation from 1970s-1990s. The poems are about the Timorese struggle for
freedom against Portuguese rule and Suharto‟s military occupation. Through his
poems, Xanana clearly describes how the Timorese lived under colonial hegemony and struggle for freedom. Xanana puts his poetry as a great service for
Timor Leste‟s anti-colonial revolution and struggle for political and socio-cultural freedom. The secondary sources were taken from the books and other sources related to the study.
There are two problems formulated as the basis of this thesis. The first problems question the description of the Timorese struggle. The second problems question the concept of freedom.
This thesis used library research. The writer uses postcolonial approach in analyzing the poems. The theories applied are theory of tone, theory of imagery, and postcolonial theory. A review on the Timorese struggle for freedom and background of the author was also used to support this thesis.
The results of the study are the portrait of the Timorese struggle for freedom during Portuguese rule and Suharto‟s military occupation. Through the portrait of nature and daily life in the poem of Xanana Gusmao, it is clear that
Xanana‟s poems are interconnected with socio-political condition in Timor Leste. Xanana and his people struggle against colonial military power to defend their country. The fact is that in implementing their civilization mission, Portuguese
and Suharto‟s military regime used their military power to overcome the Timorese
and brought down their civil society and freedom and then put their culture and
way of life into practice to „civilize‟ the Timorese. The unity of the Timorese by
being maubere is the only way that can set the Timorese free from colonialism. Furthermore, being maubere means representing themselves to overcome political and cultural inferiority. Political, social, and cultural freedoms are the ways forward to the Timor Leste‟s total national liberation and its people. Throughout his poems, Xanana clearly emphasize that one‟s freedom is only gained when he/she is politically, socially, and culturally free.
xi ABSTRAK
CUIMBRA, ANSELMO. Timorese in Search of Freedom seen in Xanana Gusmao’s Poems. Yogyakarta: Program Study Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2015.
Sumber data diambil dari puisi-puisi Xanana Gusmao berjudul “I am at
War”, “Oh! Freedom!”, “Grandfather Crocodile”, “Maubere”, dan “My Sea of Timor” yang ditulis selama pemerintahan Portugis dan pendudukan militer
Indonesia dari tahun 1970-an hingga 1990-an. Puisi – puisi tersebut bercerita tentang perjuangan kemerdekaan melawan penjajahan Portugis dan pendudukan regim militer Suharto di Timor Leste. Melalui puisi - puisinya, Xanana menjelaskan bagaimana masyarakat Timor Leste hidup di bawah hegemoni kolonial dan berjuang demi kebebasan. Xanana menjadikan puisinya sebagai salah satu upaya dalam revolusi anti kolonialisme di Timor Leste dan sebagai salah satu bentuk perjuangan untuk kemerdekaan politik dan sosial budaya. Sumber-sumber sekunder diambil dari buku-buku dan sumber-sumber lain yang berkaitan dengan studi.
Terdapat dua rumusan masalah dalam penelitian ini. Rumusan yang pertama adalah deskripsi perjuangan masyarakat Timor Leste. Rumusan yang kedua yaitu konsep kebebasan ditampilkan dalam puisi tersebut.
Skripsi ini menggunakan metode penelitian kepustakaan. Penulis menerapkan pendekatan postkolonial dalam menganalisis puisi – puisi tersebut. Teori-teori yang digunakan dalam analisis adalah teori nada, teori citra, dan teori postkolonial. Ulasan – ulasan mengenai perjuangan masyarakat Timor Leste untuk kebebasan serta latar belakang penulis juga digunakan untuk mendukung penelitian ini.
Hasil studi merupakan gambaran perjuangan kemerdekaan masyarakat Timor Leste selama penjajahan Portugis dan pendudukan militer Indonesia. Melalui penggambaran kebiasaan dan kehidupan sehari-hari masyarakat Timor Leste dalam puisi-puisi Xanana Gusmao, terlihat jelas bahwa puisi – puisi tersebut berhubungan erat dengan kondisi sosial-politik di Timor Leste. Xanana dan pada pengikutnya berjuang untuk melawan kekuasaan militer bangsa kolonial untuk membela negara mereka. Kenyataannya adalah bahwa dalam melaksanakan misi peradabannya, Portugis dan rezim militer Suharto menggunakan kekuatan militer mereka untuk melawan bangsa Timor Leste dan merendahkan masyarakat sipil serta kebebasannya, kemudian memasukkan unsur - unsur budaya dan cara hidup
mereka untuk „memberi peradaban‟ kepada masyarakat Timor Timur. Bersatunya
ii
TIMORESE IN SEARCH OF FREEDOM SEEN IN XANANA GUSMAO’S POEMS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
ANSELMO CUIMBRA
Student Number: 104214107
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa universitas Sanata Dharma
Nama : Anselmo Cumibra Nomor Mahasiswa : 104214107
TIMORESE IN SEARCH OF FREEDOM SEEN IN XANANA GUSMAOS POEM’S
Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam betuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasihkannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin kepada saya maupun memberikan royalty kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal 6, Februari 2015
Yang menyatakan,
vi
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY
I certify that this undergraduate thesis contains no material which has been
previously submitted for the award of any other degree at any university, and that,
to the best of my knowledge, this undergraduate thesis contains no material
previously written by any other person except where due to reference is made.
Yogyakarta, February 6, 2015
viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to thank God Almighty, the Ultimate Reality,
whose revelation moves me to understand the beauty of divinity as is served in the
tangible world as well as in poetry. Divine intervention is very important in the
writing of this undergraduate thesis.
I would like to thank my thesis advisor P. Sarwoto, S.S. M.A., Ph.D. for
his advice, guidance, suggestions, ideas, patience and time during my
undergraduate thesis writing up to the end. I also would like to thank Ni Luh Putu
Rosiandani, S.S., M.Hum as my co-advisor who has made valuable correction,
suggestions, and advises to make this thesis better. I also thank all the English
Letters lecturers for their guidance for all these years. My sincere gratitude also
goes to Departemento Educasaun de Timor Leste (Department of Education of Timor Leste) for supporting me during my study in Indonesia.
My greatest grattitude goes to my parents, Humberto Coimbra and Luiza
Da Cruz, for their support and prayers. My gratitude also goes to my brothers and
sisters; Sergio Coimbra, Roberto Coimbra, Sidonia Coimbra and Novelia
Coimbra, for their encouragement and supports.
viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ... ii
APPROVAL PAGE ... iii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ... iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH . v
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ... vi
MOTTOPAGE………....vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... ix
ABSTRACT ... x
ABSTRAK ... xi
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ... 1
A. Background of the Study ... 1
B. Problem Formulation ... 6
C. Objectives of the Study ... 6
D. Definitions of Terms ... 7
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ... 9
A. Review of Related Studies ... 9
B. Review of Related Theories ... 13
1. Theory of Tone ... 13
2. Theory of Imagery... 14
3. Postcolonial Theory ... 14
C. Theoretical Framework ... 22
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ... 23
A. Object of the Study... 23
B. Approach of the Study ... 24
C. Method of the Study ... 24
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ... 26
A. Timorese Struggle for Freedom described in the poem ... 26
B. The concept of freedom reflected in the poem ... 40
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 56
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 59
APPENDICES: ..………... 63
Appendix 1: Xanana Gusmao’s Poems ... 63
x ABSTRACT
CUIMBRA, ANSELMO. Timorese in Search of Freedom seen in Xanana Gusmao’s Poems.Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
The main sources were taken from the Xanana Gusmao‟s poems “I am at Waring”, Oh! Freedom!”, during Portuguese rule and Suharto‟s military occupation from 1970s-1990s. The poems are about the Timorese struggle for
freedom against Portuguese rule and Suharto‟s military occupation. Through his
poems, Xanana clearly describes how the Timorese lived under colonial hegemony and struggle for freedom. Xanana puts his poetry as a great service for
Timor Leste‟s anti-colonial revolution and struggle for political and socio-cultural
freedom. The secondary sources were taken from the books and other sources related to the study.
There are two problems formulated as the basis of this thesis. The first problems question the description of the Timorese struggle. The second problems question the concept of freedom.
This thesis used library research. The writer uses postcolonial approach in analyzing the poems. The theories applied are theory of tone, theory of imagery, and postcolonial theory. A review on the Timorese struggle for freedom and background of the author was also used to support this thesis.
The results of the study are the portrait of the Timorese struggle for freedom during Portuguese rule and Suharto‟s military occupation. Through the portrait of nature and daily life in the poem of Xanana Gusmao, it is clear that
Xanana‟s poems are interconnected with socio-political condition in Timor Leste.
Xanana and his people struggle against colonial military power to defend their country. The fact is that in implementing their civilization mission, Portuguese
and Suharto‟s military regime used their military power to overcome the Timorese
and brought down their civil society and freedom and then put their culture and
way of life into practice to „civilize‟ the Timorese. The unity of the Timorese by
being maubere is the only way that can set the Timorese free from colonialism. Furthermore, being maubere means representing themselves to overcome political and cultural inferiority. Political, social, and cultural freedoms are the ways forward to the Timor Leste‟s total national liberation and its people. Throughout his poems, Xanana clearly emphasize that one‟s freedom is only gained when he/she is politically, socially, and culturally free.
xi ABSTRAK
CUIMBRA, ANSELMO. Timorese in Search of Freedom seen in Xanana Gusmao’s Poems. Yogyakarta: Program Study Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2015.
Sumber data diambil dari puisi-puisi Xanana Gusmao berjudul “I am at
War”, “Oh! Freedom!”, “Grandfather Crocodile”, “Maubere”, dan “My Sea of Timor” yang ditulis selama pemerintahan Portugis dan pendudukan militer
Indonesia dari tahun 1970-an hingga 1990-an. Puisi – puisi tersebut bercerita tentang perjuangan kemerdekaan melawan penjajahan Portugis dan pendudukan regim militer Suharto di Timor Leste. Melalui puisi - puisinya, Xanana menjelaskan bagaimana masyarakat Timor Leste hidup di bawah hegemoni kolonial dan berjuang demi kebebasan. Xanana menjadikan puisinya sebagai salah satu upaya dalam revolusi anti kolonialisme di Timor Leste dan sebagai salah satu bentuk perjuangan untuk kemerdekaan politik dan sosial budaya. Sumber-sumber sekunder diambil dari buku-buku dan sumber-sumber lain yang berkaitan dengan studi.
Terdapat dua rumusan masalah dalam penelitian ini. Rumusan yang pertama adalah deskripsi perjuangan masyarakat Timor Leste. Rumusan yang kedua yaitu konsep kebebasan ditampilkan dalam puisi tersebut.
Skripsi ini menggunakan metode penelitian kepustakaan. Penulis menerapkan pendekatan postkolonial dalam menganalisis puisi – puisi tersebut. Teori-teori yang digunakan dalam analisis adalah teori nada, teori citra, dan teori postkolonial. Ulasan – ulasan mengenai perjuangan masyarakat Timor Leste untuk kebebasan serta latar belakang penulis juga digunakan untuk mendukung penelitian ini.
Hasil studi merupakan gambaran perjuangan kemerdekaan masyarakat Timor Leste selama penjajahan Portugis dan pendudukan militer Indonesia. Melalui penggambaran kebiasaan dan kehidupan sehari-hari masyarakat Timor Leste dalam puisi-puisi Xanana Gusmao, terlihat jelas bahwa puisi – puisi tersebut berhubungan erat dengan kondisi sosial-politik di Timor Leste. Xanana dan pada pengikutnya berjuang untuk melawan kekuasaan militer bangsa kolonial untuk membela negara mereka. Kenyataannya adalah bahwa dalam melaksanakan misi peradabannya, Portugis dan rezim militer Suharto menggunakan kekuatan militer mereka untuk melawan bangsa Timor Leste dan merendahkan masyarakat sipil serta kebebasannya, kemudian memasukkan unsur - unsur budaya dan cara hidup
mereka untuk „memberi peradaban‟ kepada masyarakat Timor Timur. Bersatunya
1
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study
The real condition of one‟s life can become an inspiration to writers in
producing a literary work. Literature is also regarded as an essential thing since it
contains real life, people, thought, and authors‟ feeling about life. In literature, one
can see the life‟s portraits, the struggle for truth, the freedom quest, etc.
Graham Little (1963:1) reveals that a literary work can become a good
reflection of the society, when and where the work is written; moreover, the reader
can dig out many values that are implicitly set in one of the cultural value elements,
setting of time, and place by reading the literary work.
Mary Rohrberger and Samuel H. Woods (1971: 29) explain that the primary
assumption of poetry is to report the action of the society in details and to create the
illusion of authenticity to material fact of everyday world; moreover, words used in
describing the societies are „realistic‟. That is why the literary work can become a
good portrait of society. Literature is interpreted as a reflection of norms and values
as it reveals the ethos of culture, the processes of class struggle, and the certain types
of social facts. It can influence individuals, organizations, and/or other societies about
certain condition that authors portray in the literary work.
The readers of literary work may wonder what happened in the past and what
historical document to record the social realities portrayed by the authors artistically
(Wellek and Warren, 1956: 102).
Poetry in the real world is a “hidden consciousness or awareness” of the
society in which the poets and the society are in a relationship of mutual
responsibility. The poets have the responsibility to portray the reality from the inside
of the society through words. In writing poetry, the poets express social concern
through words. Michael O'Siadhail (1991: 2-10) explains that:
Even something as seemingly ephemeral as the truth spoken aloud, as openly expressed concern for the humanity of humans, bear within itself a certain power, and that even a word is capable of a certain radiation, of leaving a
mark on the “hidden consciousness” of a society.
The poets have an important role in societies or nations to raise national
consciousness and to struggle for their freedom. The poets use poetry to record the
social concern and the reality. It can be briefly explained that the poets as member of
the society create the literary work that might represent the society by using their
imagination. What is written in the work may be taken from the social reality or
social question. The poets speak the truth by putting words together to represent the
concern of the society.
Poetry has also been used as a vehicle or tool with the aim of total liberation
in third the world countries. Instead of using arms against the colonial hegemony, the
poets use words to fight for their freedom and people. Many of freedom fighters such
as Aleksandr Kushner and Pushkin used poetry as a political tool to put across their
and Emily Johnson, 2003: 40-44). Stalin‟s control over Soviet Union indicated that
freedom is one thing that the people lost. Artists and painters painted pictures
glorifying Stalin, while writers and poets were forced to do so. Those who were
against it were punished and sent to labour camp. Due to the lost freedom, poetry
appears to provide a space for the poets to reclaim their freedom. With poetry, poets
do not only express all their ideology and purposes to the people and the outside
world, but also organize and unite their people in order to liberate their country:
I call poetry one of the methods for ensuring the continued existence of freedom in this world. With the help of poetry, a poet can achieve victory even when he finds himself in the most tragic of circumstances. (Kushner and Johnson, 2003: 42).
Poetry contains some elements: intrinsic and extrinsic elements. Intrinsic
elements are elements to build and describe poetry; elements such as the intrinsic
diction, figurative language; theme, imagery, tone, rhyme, meter, etc. are elements to
tell about out-of-the-poetry aspects. The out-of-the-poetry aspects are in the forms of
psychology of the author and the readers, sociology of the author and readers,
sociology of production-consumption, and sociology of work. The use of tone is to
reveal the poets‟ attitudes towards the subject they defend. As Thomson states in
Amuta, Chidi (1989: 176):
William Rose Benet (1945: 46-48) states that poetry does not always fulfilled
its technical excellence because poetry of war lacks in technical excellence but he
properly asserts that in reaction of human experience, in usefulness to man, it justifies
the claim that, the story of liberty is also the story of the great poetry. Freedom has
historically been associated with love of the country as people have struggled for
centuries for freedom by using poetry. Poetry is a plea for social justice in the society
where freedom is still only a name.
One of the countries that just gained its independence in the early twenty first
century is Timor Leste. Timor Leste declared its independence from Portugal in
November 1975, but was invaded by Indonesia nine days later. Timor Leste was later
incorporated as the 27th province of Indonesia afterwards. During the two-decade
occupation subsequently, the pacification campaign followed. Although Indonesia did
make substantial investment in infrastructures during its occupation in Timor Leste,
the dissatisfaction remained.
Xanana Gusmao, the charismatic leader and the poet, used poetry to record
the social condition of the society in which the colonialism and the political system
destroy the Timorese. The discrimination committed to the Timorese known as
“Other”, in Portuguese called Maubere and in Indonesian known as GPK (Gerakan
Pengacau Keamanan) or a small band of rebels “rebels” was commonly seen in daily
To fight against colonialism, Xanana used poems to record the social
condition of the society in which the colonisers used their ideology, culture and
system as destructive power towards the Timorese. The discrimination committed to
the Timorese called “Other” was commonly seen in daily life.
After his interview with Xanana Gusmao on May 24 1995, Craig Cormick,
Green Left Weekly correspondent, wrote that Xanana‟s capture and imprisonment did
not stop him to free his people and country by using poems:
One year ago, on May 21st, the East Timorese resistance leader Xanana Gusmao, was found guilty of plotting against the Indonesian state and illegal possession of firearms, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. The sentence was later reduced to 20 years. A poet and journalist as well as guerrilla, Xanana has continued fighting for the freedom of his people from behind the bars. His only weapons now are his thoughts and a pen (Cormick, 1994).
BBC Asia Pacific describes Xanana Gusmao as a „Warrior‟ poet because he
wrote many poems in his life, in the jungle, and prison; moreover, his struggle was
not only through arms but also through literature (BBC Asia Pacific n.p. May 9,
2007).
Based on the comments, and the interview above, Xanana explicitly does not
only want to give readers a portrait of the real condition in Timor Leste and the
complexity of the colonial but also to expose the struggle and the destiny of his
country.
The writer is interested in analyzing Xanana‟s poems because his poems
occupation. His poems contain the description of Timorese society‟s lives while their
well being is under colonial hegemony.
B. Problem Formulation
Based on Gusmao‟s poems, the problems are formulated into these following
questions.
1. How is Timorese‟s struggle for freedom described in the poem?
2. What is the concept of freedom reflected in the poem?
C. Objectives of the Study
Considering the problems formulated above, the objectives of the study are:
1. To find out Timorese‟s struggle for freedom described in the poem;
2. To find out the concept of freedom reflected in the poem.
Xanana‟s poems represent how Timorese society struggles to defend their
country from colonialism and to prove that the poem present post-colonialism and the
concept of freedom. It is very important to understand the main idea of the Timorese
struggle that Xanana portrays in the poem because this thesis focuses on the struggle
and how Xanana portrays the Timorese‟s struggle and the concept of freedom as
reflected in the poem.
Xanana‟s poems give readers a better understanding on how the Timorese
struggles for their freedom. Furthermore, through these poems, the readers may learn
about the colonial hegemony which happened in Timor Leste. While enjoying these
of these poems, such as imagery, tone, and historical background of the works. The
readers can also find the author‟s commentary on the Timorese‟s struggle. In his
poems, Xanana states that by the virtue of the principal of equal rights, all people
have the right to be free from occupation and colonialism.
D. Definition of Terms 1. Timorese
Timorese (also known as people from the east) are the indigenous people of
Timor Leste consisting of a variety of ethnic groups who are able to speak
Portuguese, Bahasa Indonesia, and some 16 indigenous languages. There are 12
indigenous groups of Timorese in Timor Leste and most of the indigenous groups are
Austronesian. There are also 4 other indigenous groups including Bunak, the
Fataluku, and the Makasae which are predominantly Papuan. 2. Struggle
Frantze Fanon (1967: 53) defines struggle as „struggle‟ for ethnic, cultural,
and political autonomy. For colonized people, struggle against European and U.S.
imperialism is done in order to liberate the country and national restoration.
Meanwhile, Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little (in Lipsitz, 1988: 147) defines struggle
as a process of individual or society to take direct action against the conditions that
oppress them and let them assert the rights to act as they choose, since black people
risk their lives for the “privilege” of drinking a cup of coffee at lunch counter next to
“justice.” Anya Topolski, (2010: 14-15) describes struggle as a form of individual‟s
action towards others and the most important one is injustice. 3. Freedom
Freedom is the condition of being free, the power to act or speak or think
without externally imposed restraints, which mean free from oppression. In Webster
New Twentieth Century Dictionary, the word freedom is defined as liberation from
slavery or restraint or from the power of another and political right. T. H. Green
(1881: 200) says, “The ideal of true freedom is the maximum of power for all
members of human society alike to make the best of themselves.”
4. Society
Jean L. McKechnie (1983:1723) defines the word „society‟ as the system or
condition of living together as a community. Della Summer (1992: 1259) defines that
society is people in general with regard to the structure of law organizations that
make it possible for them to live together; it also means a particular broad group of
people who share law organizations, customs, etc. H.G. Emery and K.G Brewster
(1952: 1759) explain that society is the social mode of living of a community or
human being collectively regarded as a body divided into classes graded to worldly
9
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE A. Review of Related Studies
Poetry and struggle for freedom. Liberation poetry is rich in just and profound
human aspirations. Inside poetry, the poet abstract and subtracts himself from his own
interest to identify with those of his people. In this relationship of abstraction and
identification, the poet finds his own self in the struggle through his direct daily
participation in the political and socio-economic transformation of human
environment. As the researchers namely Irene Marques (2003), Chidi Amuta (1989)
A.R Bras (1982), R. Victoria Arana (2008) have defined in their work, poetry has
become an important part of poets in struggling against colonial hegemony in
oppressed nations. To use Fanon‟s words (1968:240), it is a “literature of combat.”
African poetry has become a part of their struggle against colonialism.
Throughout the continent, poets expose oppression and cruelty associated with the
colonial as well as its power. One of the poets is Angolan first president, Agustinho
Neto, whose poems expose Portuguese hegemony in Angola. Chris Brazier in The New Internationalist(1988: 28) describes him as “revolutionary, spinning his dreams and inspirational calls to arms from inside prison cells and giving the chance to turn
imagination into reality as the first President of independent Angola.”
a powerful tool in struggling against oppression, but without the help of armed
struggle as well as other complementary action, it will not succeed, as stated below:
Despite the fact that Neto uses his poetry to fight colonial cause and to sensitize his people need for revolution, he is not sufficiently naïve to think that poetry alone is enough to change the state affairs. In his poem called
“Haste” Neto speaks of the impatience he feels with the fact that things are
not changing at the rate he would like to see the change. He is very aware of the fact that poetic words, reasonable talk, and biblical “offering of other
cheek” – in other words, “civilized” diplomacy – will not be enough to convince the colonialist to return Angolans and stop the utilitarian and self-serving for independence (Marques, 2003:6).
Neto adds that the use of Portuguese colonial language proves to have
facilitated the spread of Neto‟s political plea worldwide, which might have
contributed to international diplomatic pressure to end colonialism in Angola.
Amuta (1989: 189), in observing Neto‟s Collection Sacred Hope, states that one of the most prominent freedom fighters of Angola is Agustinho Neto. He was not
only the first President of Independent Angola but also a great poet who put his art at
the service of Angola, anti-colonial revolution and struggle for cultural and political
independence of Africans. Neto‟s poetry in Sacred Hope (1974) is a vital element of
People‟s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). Poetry is used to reject
colonial values and hence provides a voice to the dominated, marginalized and
divided Africans:
The significance of Neto‟s poetry in the struggle for Angolan independence is
subsumed within the overall active involvement of literature and culture in the strategy of the MPLA. The poems collected in Sacred Hope span several
years in Neto‟s career as well as various stages in the struggle for national
elements from the past to shape the future to reflections on the deprivations and sufferings of the people under colonial rule (Amuta: 189).
Meanwhile in The “Contract” in Neto's Poetry, Bras, states the poetry of
Neto is often perceived as one of combat, revolutionary verses which primary
objective is to awaken the poet‟s compatriots and to help them become aware of their
unenviable plight as a colonized people. Neto‟s Sacred Hope is a portrayal of
oppressed classes and society, but Neto still believes in human will for
self-determination:
Neto‟s is poetry of hope. Although sacred Hope is essentially a study of the oppressed classes in an equally oppressed society and of the subjective conditions that create, or preclude the creation, of a revolutionary consciousness, the poet refuses to allow the often tragic realities of the moment to overwhelm his absolute trust in the human will for selfliberation (Bras: 92).
Brass also adds that Sacred Hope is also a reflection of Neto's realizations that the end of War World II will have no positive impact on the Angolans. Young
Angolan men will still continue to be forced to abandon their homes and their
families to fulfil a contract to which they have not agreed. Furthermore, Arana (2008:
310) states that Neto‟s Sacred Hope is a portrayal of his own struggle against Portuguese Apartheid Regime and confronting western civilization towards Angolans
which is portrayed in his poem Civilizacon Ocidental(Western Civilization). Neto‟s
poetry raises national consciousness to struggle against the Portuguese regime:
Neto‟s Poetry and his life‟s struggle for national liberation and socialism are
intertwined. He uses poetry to condemn colonialism and to persuade the poor of the need liberation. The Secret Hope is used to confront and oppose
Neto's poems tear down façade of civility and enlightenment to attack the violence and poverty underpinning western civilization and its colonial projects (Arana: 310).
Those studies on Neto‟s Antology The Sacred Hope above are mainly focus
on how poets in oppressed nations use poetry as a vehicle or tool to fight against
colonialism. This study is not only focuses on the Timorese struggle during
Portuguese rule and Suharto‟s military regime in which poetry can be an outlet for
speaking up in idea of freedom but poetry can be a way to portray concept of
freedom. The main difference of this study on poetry from researchers Marques,
Amuta, Brass, and Victoria Ana is that poetry not only instrument of struggle but also
can main as source to portray concept of freedom in political, social, and cultural.
Furthermore, the writer reveals poetry is a new form of expression, and a new frontier
for individual and nations for liberty.
B. Review of Related Theories
This undergraduate thesis has three things as turning points: the struggle of
the Timorese, the concept of freedom and postcolonial. Therefore, the undergraduate
thesis needs theories on the three fields in order to answer the problem formulations.
1. Theory of Tone
Tone define as the writer‟s or the speaker‟s attitude toward his subject, his
audience, or himself. It is the emotional meaning or emotional colouring of the poem.
(1963:389) states that poetry can be understood through its tone and if the readers
miss its tone, then they may miss its meaning.
Obviously tone is an important part of meaning. It may even be the most important part of meaning. In communication with pet animals or babies, the tone of voice we use is far more important than the words we use. In interpreting literature the reader who understands the literal content of a poem but who mistakes its tone may be much further from understanding the poem than the reader who makes mistakes about its literal content but who understands the tone.
The tone‟s function in poetry is to help the readers understand the author‟s
emotional feelings toward his poem. Tone allows poets to control the way in which a
poem is read or the attitude that the speaker in the poem takes toward the subject of
the poem. The poets are able to establish a particular mood for a poem and express
the mood without actually telling the reader to feel that way by manipulating tone in
poetry. The way in which a poet controls tone is through word choice and imagery.
Tone is important for poets to communicate with the readers by giving the poets a
way to emphasize emotional feeling towards his poem. Tone is an integral part of
communication and an effective communication can also be determined by the tone
of speaker. Therefore in this thesis the writer may reveal the struggle of the Timorese
and the concept of freedom using the element of the tone.
2. Theory of Imagery
Prior to understand the struggle of the Timorese and the concept of freedom in
the poems, this theory is needed as background knowledge about the elements of the
In his book, An Introduction to Poetry, Perrine (1965: 54) explains that the
use of imagery is to see the images that the authors create in a work of literature to
help the readers imagine the real conditions. Therefore, in a work of literature,
imagery provides mental pictures for its readers. It conveys a complete human
experience in a very few words:
The word “image” most often suggests a mental picture; something seen in
the mind‟s eye-and visual imagery is the most frequently occurring kind of imagery
in poetry. An image may also represent a sound; a smell; a tactile experience, such as
hardness, wetness, or cold; an internal sensation, such as hunger, thirst, or nausea; or
movement or in the muscle or joints.
Imagery in poetry is put into words originated from human experience
emotionally, intellectually, and concretely in any given moment. The moment
becomes frozen in words, allowing the reader to dwell in and re-experience it every
time he or she reads the poem.
3. Postcolonial Theory
In order to understand colonial hegemony in third world countries during and
after colonialism, postcolonial theory is used to define the struggle or anti-movement
of oppressed nation against the West.
The postcolonial theory focuses on the power, economics, politics, religion,
and culture, so that how these components work in relation to colonial hegemony can
the colonizer plays an important role in the anti-colonial struggle for liberation and
their identity. Post-colonial theory allows the third world writers to look at their own
history and put across their own perspective on how to reclaim their past and to erode
the colonialist ideology by which the past had been devalued. Post-colonial theory
also expresses the Eurocentric universalism in taking for granted both the superiority
of what the European or the Western is and the inferiority of what is not. In the case
of Timorese independence, the postcolonial theory is to reveal what elements in
Xanana‟s poems that reflect Timorese in search of freedom.
a. Search for Identity
Frantz Fanon (in Barry, 1961: 193) argues that colonized people have to
regain what has been devalued by colonizer to them in the past and to erode
colonialist ideology in order to be free and reclaim their identity.
Fanon (1967) says that colonized peoples were made to feel inferior and
alienated from their culture because the history, culture, customs and belief of the
colonizers were promoted universal, normative and superior. In order to achieve their
independence, colonized people need to reclaim and reconstruct their own history of
the negative or non-existent versions of it as produced by the colonizers. Hence,
Edward Said (in Bressler, 1999: 267) states that he or she or „colonized people‟ must
question their existence in order to understand one‟s identity:
question, the author is admitting a tension between these historical roots and the new culture or hegemony imposed on the writer by conquerors. And by asking the third question, the writer confronts the fact that he or she both individual and social is created and shaped by the dominant culture (Said in Blessler 1999: 267).
The question of identity becomes important for people in the third world
countries to find common identity as a way forward to liberate their country. Timor
Leste, a country under Portuguese rule and Indonesian military occupation, needs to
find common identity. The way to identify common identity is through the word
maubere. The word maubere was used by the Portuguese to marginalize Timorese.
Maubere means uneducated or inferior in the eye of the colonizer; however for the Timorese, maubere became their new identity. Frontier has a dual function, as an imagined community and as national consciousness. The imagined community has
certain boundaries geographically. As national consciousness, maubere creates imaginative boundaries between people of Timor Leste who feel oppressed, poor,
backward, uneducated and destitute nation oppressed by the Portuguese and
Suharto‟s military regime. During Suharto‟s military occupation, Xanana Gusmao
used maubere, not only as a symbol of struggle but also as a political tool to gain international recognition of Timor Leste. maubere is similar to the concept of
“Negritude.”
decolonization. The Negritude is as much as the word Latinity, the concept that expresses the value of the Latin Civilizations. Negritude is the way forward to get
Africans and other nations regain their civilization as brought by the West. Therefore,
the words of Negritude and Maubere reassert that the Africans and Timorese are the society upholding the political and economic value, race, culture and civilizations,
Senghor:
Negritude objective was defined as “the sum- total of the value-economic and political, intellectual and moral, artistic and social-not only the people of the
Black Africa but also black minorities in America, even in Oceania” and Negritude Subjective meant “to assume the value of black civilization, to
realize and nurture them. Negritude rejects White culture and religion. Negritude or Black meant a pride in his race, possession of a heritage, and a culture and identity (1974: 269-273).
The common identity shared by third world countries has an aim of redefining
their existence. Culture and common identity are tainted with western superior
culture; however, western countries claimed that their culture and their identity are far
better than colonized people and they use it as a political tool to justify colonialism.
This leads to the Homi Bhabha‟s concept of Hybridity, meaning that national identity
is mixed between colonized and colonizer. Bhabha (1994:2) states that, Hybridity, is the third space for the colonized people to become neither colonizer nor colonized but
to emerge as something else.
b. Hybridity
Cynthia Fowler (1997:63-67) reveals that Hybridity is an integration of two
identity and freedom. “Third Space” brings in a new form of existence of colonized
people to emerge as “neither the one...nor the others... but something else.”
The Homi K. Bhabha‟s Hybridity (1994:2-8) notion creates space for colonized people, not only survival but also self-determination. The space gives an
opportunity for colonized people to define their existence and to construct their
political and economic values, race, culture and their civilizations. The existence of
colonized people‟s civilizations is equal to Western democratic civilization where
freedom for societies and individual is essential. Freedom gives a way for colonized
people to build future democratic society. Sol Rod (1972: 59-64) explains the third
spaces for oppressed nations and its people are freedom, and freedom is the rights of
every nation and individual.
c. Freedom
In democratic societies, freedom is essential for every individual; political,
social and cultural freedom these are everyone‟s goal. When the West expands their
power over colonized countries, it indicates that freedom for the colonized people is
nothing but an illusion. Freedom for colonized people is a destination and objective to
struggle for. In the case of Timor Leste, the main goal and objective for them is
freedom:
Sulak Sivaraska (1998: 63) explains that freedom is not free from restriction
but freedom is start from the generosity (dana) to moral living (sila) and then redirected to mindfulness (bhavana) without controlling one another. From this perspective, freedom and happiness are created. In modern society‟s perception,
freedom is free from external limitation or restriction placed by others who have
power or nature.
Charles H. Westly (1945: 63) states that all men are freely equal and have
certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights which are reckoned for the right of
enjoying their lives and liberties through acquiring, possessing, and protecting
property so that their safety and happiness are finally sought and obtained. The
example of their rights is the rights in giving an opportunity to African American to
express their faith freely, rights for vote, freedom of expression, and equal in justice.
Richard John Neuhaus (1985: 253-254) explains that in fulfilling the
democratic ideal, it is important for a democratic society to study freedom of religion
and human rights in general. A democratic society does not only provide principles in
the written form of its constitution, but also has operating institutions in accordance
with those principles. The principles should contain the freedom of religion for its
people since freedom is a basic human right of every individual in a democratic
D.P. Dyer (1964: 44-448) comments that someone‟s freedom is diminishing
when he/she is under control or intimidated or being forced to do something when
he/she does not want to do:
Someone has complete freedom so far as he is not force to anything and not intimidated or preventing from doing anything is these two ways. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, other may take it difficult for a person to certain things without subjecting him to intimidation or making it possible for him to do them (Dyer, 1964: 44-448).
In oppressed nations, political, social and cultural freedom is essential in order
to build their own ideal democratic society which leads them to total liberation.
Without these three main cores of freedom these nation are still under colonial
hegemony.
1.Political Freedom
Political freedom in postcolonial perspective is struggle for freedom of state
and freedom of political ideology and justification of oppressed nation or indigenous
people challeng the colonizers political power of equal in political right for colonized
people.
James L. Gibson (1993: 936-944) argues that political freedom means
freedom of the state where individual or people can shape their society according to
the perspective of their ideology. Further, he adds that political freedom is the rights
of individual citizen to perceive opportunity to express themselves in political
matters. Meanwhile, Bassam Irib (1984: 222-227) states that political freedom means
freedom for oppressed nations is to diminish foreign intervention in order to build
democratic society and democratic government on their own and political system that
every individual has the right to involve in politics. Furthermore, Larry M. Preston
(1982:72) argues that political freedom is a matter of removing external constrain on
free choice and action.
2. Social Freedom
According to Jurate Morkuniene, (1998: 125) social freedom means
protection against threats to the nation‟s existence and well-being; it also means a
search for measures and possibilities to achieve the goals of social development and
improvement. Social freedom implies the creation and preservation of conditions in
which each citizen can develop as an educated, creative and responsible personality.
Social freedom gives a priority to national consciousness and intellectual resources.
Such comprehension of identity implies the protection of the vitally important
interests of the person from threats arising from internal factors. While Alan
Wertheimer (1975: 334-336) states that social freedom is the absence of interference
in doing what one chooses or what one would choose to do if he knew that he could.
Social freedom also means the absence of social constrains or interference imposed
by other.
3. Cultural Freedom
Sakiko Fukuda-Parr (2004: 34-37) states that cultural freedom allows people
choose a cultural identity on their own without any interference. Cultural freedom
means people live in dignity, without any discrimination from larger society and live
the life that they choose to live. Cultural freedom also gives indigenous people a
protection to their cultural heritage and makes them proud of their culture and way of
life. Indigenous people could stay with their cultural roots and are free to choose
their cultural affiliations.
C. Theoretical Framework
Literature can give the reader an actual portrayal of the struggle of people
using its elements such as imagery and tone in the study of literature. It does help us
to understand the real condition where the work takes place. We can also see the
reality that people struggle for survival, oppression, and so forth through the work of
literature.
In examining a literary work, some theories can be used to support the
problem formulation analysis. Those theories are imagery, tone, and Post
Colonialism. Theory of tone and theory of imagery are used to identify how the
Timorese struggle is described while postcolonial theory is used to identify the
struggle and the concept of freedom from the author‟s perspective. These are used to
reveal how the author portrays the Timorese‟s struggle in seeking freedom.
These theories are useful for the writer to answer the problem formulation.
Furthermore, these theories help the analysis of the Timorese in search of freedom
23
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study
The primary texts of the study are poems entitled “I am at War”, “Oh!
Freedom!”, “Grandfather Crocodile”, “Maubere”, and “My Sea of Timor” written by
Xanana Gusmao. The poems were written during the time of struggle and were
published by the Timor Leste‟s government in 2005 in honour of Xanana as the
country‟s first president. The poems consist of 14 stanzas: “I am at War” consists of
one stanza and nine lines; “Oh! Freedom!” has four stanzas and thirty five lines;
“Grandfather Crocodile” has three stanzas and thirteen lines; “Maubere” has three
stanzas and nineteen lines; “My Sea of Timor” has three stanzas and seventeen lines.
The poems are about the descriptions of hardship of the Timorese during
Suharto‟s military occupation. In “I am at war” and “My Sea of Timor”, Xanana
portrays how the Timorese face the invasion Soeharto‟s Regime, while in “Oh!
Freedom!” and “Maubere”, he exposes the suffering of Timorese from the occupation
and asks his people to unite and struggle for their freedom. Furthermore in
“Grandfather Crocodile”, (culturally crocodile is believed to be the island of Timor.
People of Timor Leste regard their tradition and customs as something sacred) he
urges Timorese to protect the motherland and hold on to their culture and traditional
The Timorese searching for freedom that Xanana reveals is the most
significant part of the poems. This is the main purpose of the writer to analyze and
become the answer for the problem formulation. In addition, besides analyzing
Timorese searching for freedom as developed in the poems, the writer also explicitly
related to the author‟s commentary on the social realities in Timor Leste which is the
meaning of the poems.
B. Approach of the Study
The poems are analyzed using the postcolonial approach. The writer
considered that this approach is suitable because when the postcolonial approach puts
literary works as a product and a reflection of anti colonialism. Postcolonial approach
also emerges as a personal and direct reflection of struggle and cultural clashes
between the colonized authors and the colonizers, and their fears, hopes, and dream
about the future, as well as their own identity. Literary works can play its role as
documents that record social realities which are artistically portrayed by the authors
(Bressler, 1999: 266).
C. Method of the Study
The primary texts of the study are the poems written by Xanana Gusmao: “I
am at War”, “Oh! Freedom!”, “Grandfather Crocodile”, “Maubere”, and “My Sea of
Timor.” References from library were also used to support this study. The other
references were the books related to the theories, approach, and the criticisms that
Several steps were taken by the writer in analyzing this study. Firstly, the
writer read the poems as the main source comprehensively in order to get a deeper
understanding about the poems. From the comprehensive reading, the writer was able
to find out the main idea of the poems. Other sources were also by the writer such as
related books about the struggle of Timorese of 1970‟s until 1990‟s to support the
analysis.
In answering the problems formulated in the previous chapter, the writer
collected the data related to the problem formulation. The analysis was based on the
postcolonial approach in order to get a realistic portrait of the Timorese struggle as
described in the poems through the tone and imagery at the period of Portuguese and
Suharto‟s military regime in Timor Leste.
The first step in analyzing this study, the writer analyzed the struggle of
Timorese for freedom described in the poems. Then, second the writer reveals the
26
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
The analysis is divided into two parts; the first part is the answer to the
problem formulation number one and the analysis on how the Timorese struggle for
freedom as described in the poems. The second part is the answer of the problem
formulation number two; it reveals Xanana Gusmao‟s concept of freedom during
struggle against Portuguese rule and Indonesian military occupation.
A. The Description of the Timorese Struggle for Freedom in the poems
Poetry and struggle for freedom. Poetry has become an important part of the
Timorese struggle against colonialism. Xanana Gusmao as a poet and leader of the
Timorese resistance offers a lyrical portrayal of the future of Timor Leste, which is
free from colonial oppression and exploitation, and the people would enjoy the
benefits derived from egalitarian self-determination. Most of Xanana Gusmao‟s
poems were written during struggle against Portuguese rule and Suharto‟s military
occupation from 1975- 1999. The theme dominating Xanana‟s poetry is a portrayal of
Portuguese and Suharto‟s military oppression. The purpose underlying Portuguese
and Suharto‟s regime went to Timor Leste is to civilize and realize assimilation
project that is more myth than reality. The theme depicting an image of Xanana‟s and
his fellow Timorese daily participation against colonial hegemony are in line.
Xanana‟s poems “My Sea of Timor” and “I am at War” are the portrayal of
invasion and struggle are prominent and give an ultimate meaning in these poems,
even though the words “invasion and struggle” are not presented in the text. Textual
details of these poems invoke strong imagery related to invasion; sea, ships, sky,
blood and death; “erupting sky/sea were cries in agony”. The second stanza of “My
Sea of Timor” which is “sky is not mine/sea is not mine” in line one and the line three
of “I am at war”, these images and the diction of “the sky is not mine/ sea is
not/blood/ gravestone” describe how the Timorese struggle against the invaders.
Xanana in the poems has a role as a speaker and he is able to create the full meaning
of the theme “invasion” and the struggle.
Immersed in my thoughts I was suddenly shaken
From the sea, my sea, out of the bellies of ships, tremors came
I looked at the erupting sky, and the size of the sea were cries of agony
the smell of dust and blood the pebbles of the gravestone and the pretty shells
traced
the destiny of the Homeland
(Gusmao, 1975- 1999, stanza 1, lines 1-2, stanza 2, lines, 1-3 and stanza 3,lines 1-3,5,7 and lines 8-11)
Three stanzas of “My Sea of Timor” above, the tone of the speaker which is
Xanana Gusmao, conveys a profound sense of grief and disintegration of the
erupting sky / cries of agony / smell of dust and blood / the pebbles of the
gravestone.” These are the dictions and images that capture military force and the
struggle of the Timorese which did not directly stated by Xanana, he just shows
concrete images which also dictions “dust and blood/ grave stone” and which is
representing the destruction of the livelihood of the Timorese. This poem shows
Xanana‟s personal experience as “aneye witness” (pronoun I) of the atrocity and the
fall of his country. Through series of images also set the tone which reflects Xanana‟s
concerns the destiny of his country and the people. He fears that the Timorese were
unable to defend themselves
“My Sea of Timor” is exposes sorrowful reality and the detail of modern
military war machine during the invasion of Suharto‟s military regime and the
description of the Timorese struggle. In the last two lines of the “My Sea of Timor”
Xanana shows the courage to “trace /the destiny of the homeland”, even though the
realities show that against such mighty military power, the Timorese have no chance
in defending their country which represent by the title of the poem “My Sea of
Timor.” This poem is a portrait of occupation that taken the Timorese by surprise
and took many lives of the Timorese “I was suddenly shaken/ from the sea of my sea/
tremor came/ erupting sky/the smell of dust and blood/ the pebbles of grave stone”,
Xanana as a witness the atrocity of that committed by the invaders.
Further, in the poem “I am at War”, Xanana depicts his own involvement in
through the dictions of „I and mine‟. In this poem, Xanana presents the image of the
war vulgarly that represent the Timorese struggle; war costs people‟s life and the lost
of the country “the sky is not mine/the sea is not mine/ life is only gain by death”:
I am at war
the sky is not mine I am at war
the sea is not mine, I am at war
and life is won only in death
in the hope of regaining my sea
(Xanana, 1975-1999, stanza 1, lines 2-7)
Through the image of the „the sky‟, he addresses that the use of military
power is not only by the war ships but also by using war planes to win the battle over
Timorese. „Sky‟ which Xanana presents is representing war planes and the „the sea‟ is
the representation of war ships.
In the poem “I am at war”, Xanana captures the real condition of Timorese
people during struggling against oppressor. Many Timorese lost their life for
defending their motherland. Timorese were forced to fight the war that they never
wanted. The tone suggests a struggle against colonial superior military power;
Xanana and the people of Timor Leste have no chance in defending their country.
However, in the last line of the poem, there is still a hope that one day the Timorese
will gain their freedom and country “in the hope of regaining my sea.”
These two poems, “My Sea of Timor” and “I am at war” are a portrayal of
anti-colonialism and the struggle of the Timorese against it. The regime overthrows
FRETILIN (Revolutionary front of Independence of Timor Leste), government and
occupied the country over quarter-century which between approximately 100-180,000
soldiers and civilians are estimated to have been killed or starved. The descriptions in
the poem about Suharto‟s military power by Xanana above are to reveal the notion of
colonizers in expanding their colony by using military power as Michael
Barrat-Brown (in Said, 1994: 341) explains that in imperialism, without question that the
commonest strategy in an expansion of the colony is the use of military power. The
invasion of Timor Leste by the Soeharto‟s regime actually violates Indonesian
constitution where it says that every nation has the right to be free from colonialism.
The Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia of 1945
PREAMBLET
'Whereas Independence is the natural right of every nation, colonialism must be abol-ished in this world because it is not in conformity with Humanity and Justice. (Sindunegoro, 1991: 19)
The character of Indonesia with its international solidarity to abolish
colonialism throughout the world and build nations upon democratic ideals where the
rights of individual and nations based upon independence, peace and social justice is
violated. The poems “My Sea of Timor” and “I am at War” are the descriptions of
how Timor Leste‟s independence was ignored by Soeharto‟s Regime for the sake of
his economic and political interests. The regime cooperated with its Western allies by
it is not a viably independent country. Barrat-Brown, Michael (in Said 1994:341)
mentions that imperialism is still without question a most powerful force in the
economic, political and military relations by which less economically developed land
is subjected to the more economically developed.
In the poem “Maubere”, Xanana as a speaker in the poem appeals to the
Timorese to struggle against the endless oppression and enslavement that have been
put upon them by the colonizers through the tone “repetition of “maubere” and
images of belly, ruts, and walls; “maubere people/ tear open your belly/ your
cravings/ rust of neglect, of anguish, of oppression/ and hurl them to the wind/ to you
furthest brother/ in the secret places of the sacred land.... maubere people/ clench you
fist/ hours is yours/ your defiance will bring down/ the wall of your own
enslavement.” The tone of defiance through the diction of “maubere/maubere people”
used in the stanza is transmitting the message which carries defiance in uniting the
Timorese to end the long suffering of enslavement by the excessive military control.
“Maubere people” or the Timorese can liberate themselves from enslavement:
Maubere People,
Maubere, child of East Timor, tear open your belly,
your cravings,
ruts of neglect, of anguish, of oppression, and hurl them to the wind,
to your furthest brother,
in the secret places of the sacred land,
Maubere People, clench your fists,
And your defiance will bring down the walls of your own enslavement long march of liberation
liberate yourself
(Xanana,19751999, stanza 1, lines 19, stanza 2, lines 15, stanza 3, lines 3 -4)
The poem “Maubere” is an illustration of how the Timorese lived in harsh
condition under colonial hegemony for a long period of time and their struggle: “ruts
of neglect, of anguish, of oppression/the wall of your own enslavement”. Timorese
have been living under two different colonialisms: under Portuguese rule for nearly
500 years and Indonesian military occupation for 24 years. During those times, the
Timorese were forced to abandon their culture and way of thinking because they were
considered uncivilized. The title Maubere is the term used by Portuguese to
marginalize Timorese; maubere means „uneducated, inferior‟ to the colonizer, while
Indonesian Military officers referred it as „backward and lazy‟. maubere or „Other‟ is to justify colonialism that the „other‟ is (un)civilized, so they must be civilized
through the civilization brought to Timor Leste by Portuguese and Indonesian
military. Then, Xanana uses the term maubere to unite Timorese or “maubere” as a
new identity of Timorese as he called it “maubere people, / maubere, child of Timor.”
maubere also becomes the new identity of Timorese as a frontier. Frontier here has a dual function. Geographically, the imagined community has a certain geographical
boundaries. As a national consciousness has risen, maubere creates imaginative boundaries between people who feel themselves as an oppressed nation, poor, and
but also as a symbol of resistance and political tool to gain international recognition
of Timor Leste. The term maubere is used to reject colonial values and hence provides a voice to the dominated, marginalized and divided the Timorese. This is as
displayed in the last three lines “the hours is your‟s maubere / and your defiance will
bring down / the wall of your own enslavement.” The use of the term maubere as Timorese new identity by Xanana is a strategy for self-determination.
The poem entitled “Oh! Freedom!”, Xanana displays excessive oppression of
colonizers through the images of nature; “cold mornings/ curtain of the
sky/hills/disturbed sunrise/ the serene plains of the pasture/ drinking from the springs/
calm afternoons/ the darkening of the waves/sea.” These images represent excessive
oppression even though “oppression” is not directly mention in the poem. Further the
tone Xanana uses, conditional [If] that gives lurid description of the Timorese
struggle during oppression of colonizers. Every walk of the life of the Timorese was
controlled by the oppressor: “If I could only/wake up in cold morning/wake up
shivering/ beating by the gale/which opens for the curtain of the sky/ and see, from
the top of the hills/ the purple painting of a disturbed sunrise east of Timor” first
stanza lines, 1-8 and “if I could only in the scorching suns/ towards the finding
myself” in second stanza lines, 1-3 and “If I could only / in the calm afternoons /
feel that tiredness/ of the sensuous nature/ stretching itself in its own sweat / and
listen to the telling of the weariness‟s / within the laughter‟s / of the naked barefoot
walk by the sand / absorbed in myself / in the wet rapture of the breeze / and touch
the immensity of the sea / in a breath of soul / which let me dream the future of
Timor.” in the last stanza, lines, 1-9, Xanana uses conditional [if] is also to
underlines how difficult it is for the Timorese to live their daily life normally when
everything they do was under control, from the start of the day till later in the
afternoon:
Oh! Freedom! If I could only in the cold mornings wake up shivering beaten by the gale
which opens for me the curtain of the sky, and see, from the top of my hills,
the purple painting of a disturbed sunrise east of Timor
If I could only in the scorching suns
towards the finding of myself in the serene plains of the pasture, and feel the smell of animals drinking from the springs which would murmur in the air, legends of Timor
(Xanana, 1975-1999, Stanza 1, lines 1-8, stanza 2, lines 1-8)
The first and second stanzas above show the hope of the Timorese to wake up
in the morning freely without any fear. People were hoping that they wake up in the
morning and have enough strength “beaten by the gale/which opens for me the
curtain of the sky” to face the excessive oppression as “the disturb sunrise” and do
maybe later in the day people are hoping to be free and enjoy doing their activities “If
I could only/ in the scorching suns/ ride in raptures/ towards the finding of myself/ in
the serene plains of the pasture/ but ride in ruptures is not exist and in on a hope.
People just pray to their ancestors that might help reduce the
