ABSTRACT
Nation-building challenges after independence The evening ceremony which marked the restoration of Timor-Leste’s independence at midnight on 20 May saw traditional warriors mounted on ponies and traditional dancers in costume, accompanied by hundreds of children in white ‘holding aloft candles to represent all the martyrs’ (Niner 2009: 223). The FALINTIL anthem was played and a welcome was issued to a host
of international representatives, including Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, whose presence represented the most important form of recognition from the international community. Alongside the themes of sacrifice, memory and reconciliation in the ceremony, the fact that the newly-elected President Xanana Gusmão delivered his speech in four languages was indicative of the nation-building challenges facing Timor-Leste in the wake of two consecutive colonial eras.
