{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"PDHJ","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.pdhj.tl\/en\/","title":"24 Years After Independence, Ombudsman Warns Portuguese Root \"Still Not Cultivated\" \u2013 Calls for Systematic Strategy in Media and Daily Use - PDHJ","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"y6stEMtOiT\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pdhj.tl\/en\/10106\/\">24 Years After Independence, Ombudsman Warns Portuguese Root &#8220;Still Not Cultivated&#8221; \u2013 Calls for Systematic Strategy in Media and Daily Use<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pdhj.tl\/en\/10106\/embed\/#?secret=y6stEMtOiT\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;24 Years After Independence, Ombudsman Warns Portuguese Root &#8220;Still Not Cultivated&#8221; \u2013 Calls for Systematic Strategy in Media and Daily Use&#8221; &#8212; PDHJ\" data-secret=\"y6stEMtOiT\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/www.pdhj.tl\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/www.pdhj.tl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/FB_IMG_1778641024719.jpg.jpeg","thumbnail_width":2048,"thumbnail_height":1625,"description":"Dili, 13 May 2026 \u2013 The Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice of Timor-Leste, Virg\u00edlio da Silva Guterres, participated as the keynote speaker in the Opening Conference of the seminar &#8220;From Planning to the Classroom: Practices in Portuguese Language Teaching,&#8221; held on May 11 and 12 at the Faculty of Economics and Management of the National University of Timor Lorosa&#8217;e (UNTL). Speaking on the theme &#8220;Portuguese as a Language of Teaching and Science in the Lusophone Space,&#8221; Guterres offered a critical reflection on the challenges facing the reintroduction of Portuguese in the country, warning that, despite 24 years of restored independence, the language&#8217;s roots remain fragile across key sectors of national life. During his speech, he affirmed that &#8220;the Portuguese language is the soul of Timor-Leste alongside the Tetum language,&#8221; reinforcing the complementary and equally essential role of both languages in the nation&#8217;s identity. Recalling the dark years of the Indonesian occupation, the Ombudsman noted that the teaching of Portuguese was not free and was limited to very few institutions, such as the Externato de S\u00e3o Jos\u00e9 in Balide, which was eventually closed after the Santa Cruz massacre, and the Seminary of Nossa Senhora do Ros\u00e1rio de F\u00e1tima, which continued to teach Portuguese even during that period. &#8220;After the departure of Indonesia, Portuguese was reintroduced to Timorese soil. The age of our restoration of independence will soon equal the age of the Indonesian occupation, but we can affirm that the root of Portuguese is still not deeply &#8216;cultivated&#8217; in various sectors of our lives, including within our educational institutions,&#8221; he stated. The Ombudsman further emphasized that for a language to expand, availability is key \u2013 it must be present in news, multimedia, literature, and daily communication channels. He pointed out that language expansion also depends on necessity: how often speakers are required to use it in their daily lives. &#8220;A systematic approach is therefore very important in this case,&#8221; he stressed, calling for deliberate and structured policies to ensure Portuguese gains practical relevance alongside its symbolic value. For Timor-Leste, the Ombudsman emphasized, the choice of Portuguese as a co-official language is an affirmation of national identity. As the only Portuguese-speaking country in Asia, Portuguese marks the nation&#8217;s difference from its neighbors. He recalled that the language was used as a language of resistance against foreign occupation and remains central to the country&#8217;s history and culture. Beyond its symbolic role, Portuguese is fundamental in basic and secondary education, the drafting of laws and official documents, and international cooperation within the CPLP and other organizations such as the UN, the African Union, and ASEAN. However, he noted that Tetum and other local languages remain dominant in daily life, and Portuguese must be taught as a second or non-native language, requiring methodologies that respect and use national languages as tools to support learning. He reiterated that without systematic investment in media, educational resources, and authentic contexts for use, the language will struggle to take root regardless of its official status. The Ombudsman also [&hellip;]"}