Heads Up!!! Special Indonesian cultural evening at Sunset Fair on December 9th

His Serene Highness Prince Philipp Von und zu Liechtenstein pays a visit to the Sunset Fair

His Serene Highness Prince Philipp Von und zu Liechtenstein
tours the Sunset Fair (Photo copyright Barnezco)

Last Friday (November 11th) we were honoured to receive a brief visit from HSH Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein to the Sunset Fair. The Prince came to Dili with a delegation of businessmen from the tiny principality, which is situated in the mountainous region between Switzerland and Austria, and had meetings with President Jose Ramos-Horta, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and various government ministers during his stay. He was also a participant in a Seminar on Strategic Asset Allocation held under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance and had a meeting with the Governor of the Central Bank (Banco Central de Timor-Leste).  Liechtenstein has the world's second highest per capita gross domestic product in the world (behind the Principality of Monaco). HSH Prince Philipp was expected to sign an MOU aimed at enabling bilateral cooperation and strengthening business ties between the two countries; it was also hoped that the visit would serve to introduce the Liechtenstein Royal family to Timor-Leste as a potential tourist destination and investment opportunity. 

HSH was given a brief tour of the stalls at the Sunset Fair and particularly admired the tais and basket work on sale there. He also enjoyed a traditional dance performance by Cultura Millennium. HSH said that he admired the white-sand beach at Kristu Rei and was interested to learn that Timor-Leste had some of the world's best scuba diving and immense marine bio-diversity.     

Prince Philipp's itinerary also included a brief tour of Dili's beauty spots and the tourism training centre ETDA (East Timor Development Agency), as well as the Alola Foundation. On Saturday, the delegation paid their respects at the Santa Cruz Cemetery prior to their departure. 

Sunset Fair Stallholder Focus: Maubara baskets and tourism

Many Sunset Fair traders have stalls every Friday but also run a primary business for the rest of the week in another location. Basketware is especially popular: there are four stalls, all selling colourful creations, which the ladies weave at home in Maubara, Liquica District, and bring to Dili each week to sell at the Sunset Fair.

These items are  made from different types of leaves, some from the akadiru palm - a characteristic tree that defines the landscape along Timor-Leste's arid north coastal strip - and others from a reed-like plant that is often grown in gardens.

We went to Maubara to trace the origins of one of the Sunset Fair's favourite local products - and discovered a charming coastal town that is well worth a day trip - it's only about an hour's drive from Dili. Maubara is famous for its 17th century Dutch fort, with its pair of cannon rearing up from solid walls, pointing out over the waters of the Ombar Strait. On the beach below, we find the cluster of basketware stalls where the Sunset Fair ladies - Maria da Costa Cabral, Olivia and Virgilia Serao and Isabel dos Santos - can be found throughout the week.  

The people of Maubara have always made baskets, but Maria da Costa Cabral has played a key role in helping to develop the art as artisan product for the fashion and souvenir trade. Maria and the other ladies decided to form an association to enable them to receive funding and technical support from donors and the government, and have since gone from strength to strength.

Maria remembers that in the year 2,000, only a handful of people were involved in the basket industry in Maubara; now, in 2011, it directly supports 45 people and is a valuable source of income for these women's families. In fact, demand has grown so much that Maria has had to hire two helpers and has been able to invest the profits in a minibus, another source of income and also the means of transport for her to take her goods down to the Sunset Fair each week. 

The preparation of the materials is hard work, and requires a high level of expertise. The leaves have to be soaked to render them pliable, split with a sharp knife into strips of equal thickness, dyed and finally, woven into mats, handbags, boxes, hanging mobiles, jewellery, hats and a myriad of other products. These techniques are handed down from mother to daughter and have been preserved in a book that Maria keeps safe at home, which is written in the Timor-Leste official language, Tetum, as well as the local language of the region, Tokodede.  

They key to the success of the product is the creativity - the constant invention of new lines - and the use of colour. In this, the basket ladies have received support from a Portuguese NGO, "Mos Bele" (roughly translated as "We can, too").  Funded by the Portuguese Government, "Mos Bele"  is achampion of development in Maubara, active not just in the handicrafts trade, but also in developing the town as a tourism destination and stimulating other types of economic growth.  

With assistance from "Mos Bele", the fort has been tastefully restored, with a delightful small restaurant, peaceful, shady seating areas under the towering trees that dominate the gardens, and children's play area. The restaurant menu is simple  - barbecued chicken, local seafood, rice, noodles - and reasonably priced, but the dishes are served with style and elegance by well-trained staff. 

When you sit on top of the fort's battlements, or astride one of the cannon, you feel a real sense of history. The fort has a magical atmosphere and the views out to sea are beautiful; in the months of November there is a real chance of sighting one of the migratory whales that pass by and occasionally surface to blow and breathe. There is also good scuba diving to be had on the pristine coral reefs adjacent to the beach below. 

Maubara itself is a welcoming and well-ordered community. Beautifully turned-out schoolchildren offered a smile and a cheery "hello missus!" as we walked through the small town on the way to Maria's garden, where she showed us the special grasses that she cultivates to make the some finer handicrafts, more flexible items like purses and handbags. 

The more rigid and robust baskets are made from the incredibly versatile akadiru palm. The tree is used in the production of palm wine; its leaves are also used to thatch roofs and are an important element in the production of sea salt in the nearby village of Ulmera. 

The salt-makers occupy tidal coastal flats, where they harvest the salt-laden sand, wash the brine out, filter and boil it to produce a coarse grain that is prized by gourmets and which has now joined coffee as one of Timor-Leste's export products. This process takes place in akadiru-thatched huts and the piles of salty sand are pinned down so that they don't blow away, using the same leaves. And yes, the final product is kept in baskets just like the ones that are sold at the Sunset Fair!  

When an artisan product is bought by a tourist, as a souvenir, it somehow seems to be worth much more when it has an enduring relevance in the lives of local people. Maubara is now famous for its handicrafts but it also has potential as a tourism destination. Why not visit and collect the memories to go with the basket? 

Sunset Fair cancelled on Friday, 4th November

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SUNSET FAIR IS C A N C E L L E D THIS WEEK DUE TO PUBLIC HOLIDAYS. See you all on November 11th!

TGI a VERY long weekend!

This year, the calendar is our friend. Many people are planning to take Monday off work (Hallowe'en) to make the most of the public holidays on Tuesday, November 1st and Wednesday Nov. 2nd (All Saints/All Souls), with an extra half-day off on Thursday, November 3rd for many workers in Timor-Leste, too. So for some, a VERY long weekend starts here! Let's get in the mood at the Sunset Fair this Friday: great music from 5 de Oriente and a cheery, uplifting soccer-themed movie, "Goal!" from Cinema Lorosa'e. PLUS all of our favourite restaurants and handicrafts stalls. TGIF! See you there!

Photographers Kandhi Barnez (above) and Daniel Groshong (below)
on the other side of the lens for a change 

You just can't have too much Maubara basket-work
Christmas is coming.....

A pap-snap!

Fanning the flames for traditional BBQ corn

Delicious katupa rice parcels

Basil and Naomi Kitu Homa Rolandsen enjoy a cold drink 

The Venture team clown around between flipping burgers (below)

Sunset Fair: THE place to take the kids on a Friday

Fashionable young ladies queue for the bouncy castle
This week's sponsor: Aubergine Restaurant
Thank you, Sir Bouncealot!

Beach, "Balibo", Drums and Munchies

The Sunset Fair takes place on one of the very best beaches in Timor-Leste: Kristu Rei. With its pure, white sand and sparkling turquoise water, it's hard to believe that this beach is so close to the city centre.  Joggers often come here to run up the steps to the famous Kristu Rei (Christ the King) statue of Jesus, which looks down from the hilltop that dominates the landscape. At dusk, there is often a cluster of sports fishermen casting their lines from the rocks at the bottom of the hill - if they're lucky, they'll hook a tuna. If not, they can always get a delicious fish dinner at Ugo Lebre's popular "Billfish" restaurant, which serves up locally-caught seafood with style. The Sunset Fair location is its greatest asset: why not take advantage of the scenery, come down early, bring a couple of deck chairs and have a meal on the beach whilst the children play? 

This week, some of the Arte Moris drummers came down to add a bit of rhythm to the proceedings. Their traditional Timorese drum beats drew customers to the stall, which sells original artworks, cards and very cool t-shirts printed with original Arte Moris designs. They also set up a collection box for donations to go towards the cost of running this free art school, which has become a much-loved institution in Dili and a tourism attraction in its own right. 

At this week's Sunset Fair everyone seemed to be munching: popcorn, satay, ice cream, rissoles, burgers, katupa rice packets.... there's a snack or a meal to suit all tastes, with smoothies, fresh juices, icy cold beer, sangria and wine to wash it all down. 

With dinner out of the way, it was time to settle down to a movie: this week the much-anticipated film "Balibo", which has been a real blockbuster at Cinema Lorosa'e's free movie screenings around the country.  

Blue skies, white sands

A walk on the beach, misty hills above Dili

Someone should open up a Sunset Fair stall selling buckets and spades!

Jesus looks down from the hilltop

THIS is why it's called the Sunset Fair!

Wilson models an Arte Moris t-shirt and learns some Timorese rhythms

TGIF! The crowds gather for Sunset Fair sundowners

Let the munching commence! Satay, fried chicken, katupa....

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream!

Popcorn and a movie from Cinema Lorosa'e

Happy customers at the Billfish restaurant

Making salsa the traditional way

The one that DIDN'T get away: locally-caught tuna steaks

Decisions, decisions... what to eat next?

Cure that snack attack! Rissoles and samosas

Haleluja! The Maubara minibus that brings down the baskets every week

Photographer Daniel Groshong and friends enjoy a drink

Dive tourists having a well-earned beer

Look what I bought!

Renowned "Friend of Timor" Robb Wesley-Smith on a visit to his favourite
country with Tourism expert Christine Cabasset and
 Maria do Ceu Lopes (Federer), co-founder of Timor Aid

Sunset Fair regulars Lisa and Milissa:
should we bring in frequent flyer points?

A budding Sunset Fair entertainer

Quality time with Daddy

Say it with flowers

Hand-thrown Manatuto terracotta pots

Alola Foundation's multilingual language cards for kids

Arte Moris drummers raise funds: buskers are welcome

The Cinema Lorosa'e projectionist screens "Balibo"

Thanks to Hiro Motor Cycle for sponsoring this week's Bouncy Castle!