(AseanAll)  — As part of Portuguese Language Week, which celebrates the World Day of the Portuguese Language and Culture of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão was one of the guest speakers at the event entitled “Writing in Portuguese”, organised by the National Parliament of Timor-Leste. 

The event occurred on May 8th, 2024, in the Noble Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste. 

Addressing an audience mainly composed of young university students and future teachers of Portuguese language and literature, the Prime Minister emphasised the importance of reading in the process of acquiring knowledge and encouraged everyone to cultivate the habit of reading regularly.

In addition to Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, recognised for his poetic work, the gathering was attended by academics and personalities linked to writing and translation in Timor-Leste, such as Mara Bernardes de Sá, author of the book “Ruy Cinatti 'Senhor da Chuva'“, Sofia Santos, responsible for translating Gonçalo M. Tavares's “Os Velhos Também Querem Viver” into Tetum, João Paulo Esperança, a recognised translator of various literary works into Tetum, including works by Eça de Queirós, and Vicente Paulino, a Timorese academic and poet with published poetic works in Portuguese. Each speaker shared their creative process of writing and/or translating with the audience. 

May 5th was officially established in 2009 by the CPLP, an intergovernmental organisation that has the Portuguese language as one of the pillars of its identity. Its aim is to celebrate the Portuguese language and Lusophone cultures. In 2019, during the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference, May 5th was proclaimed “World Portuguese Language Day”.

With more than 265 million speakers on every continent, Portuguese is one of the most widespread languages in the world and the most widely spoken in the southern hemisphere. It remains one of the main languages of international communication, with significant geographical expansion planned for the future. 

The President of the National Parliament of Timor-Leste,  the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste, the Vice Minister for ASEAN Affairs, Members of the Parliament, the Secretary-General of the Parliament, higher education students and other distinguished guests also attended the tertulia.