Dili, May 6, 2025 (Média Democracia) – The Portuguese Ambassador to Timor-Leste considers that the Portuguese language, as learned by many Timorese, has shown significant progress in the country.
In an interview, Portuguese Ambassador to Timor-Leste Manuela Bairos stated that World Portuguese Language Day, which is celebrated annually on May 5, was marked with an event organized by the Portuguese Embassy on Monday. The celebration included a march together with students and took place at the Government Palace.
She explained that, as the Portuguese Ambassador in Timor-Leste, she is well aware of the many challenges faced by Timorese people in learning Portuguese, but nonetheless, the country has made great progress with the language.
“In my report on the Portuguese language in Timor-Leste, after being here for 10 years, I believe there has been major progress because many Timorese have started learning and speaking Portuguese. The effort is no longer the same as it used to be, because in the past many struggled to learn the language. But now, there are various courses made available both by Timorese and foreigners to help those who still don’t know Portuguese learn it,” said Ambassador Manuela Bairos during the celebration of World Press Freedom Day at the Portuguese Embassy.
The Ambassador acknowledged that although there are still many challenges in learning Portuguese, the Government of Portugal remains committed to investing heavily in the Portuguese language in Timor-Leste so that Timorese people can learn it better in the future.
“We cannot ignore the fact that there are many challenges especially for the younger generation who, during Indonesia’s time, had no exposure to Portuguese and mostly learned Indonesian. So, the new generation is starting from zero when it comes to Portuguese, but I don’t think it’s an extremely difficult language because many Tetum words are nearly identical to Portuguese,” she said.
She added that during her 10 years as the Portuguese Ambassador in Timor-Leste, she has witnessed significant and meaningful progress in the Portuguese language, as people are now able to learn it anywhere.
“I can give a few examples, such as Portuguese language training offered by CLJ for Timorese journalists. There are also Portuguese schools open in Timor-Leste for students, and courses organized by fellow Timorese to teach others who still don’t know Portuguese. This is a clear sign of progress in the country. Therefore, the ambassador continues to encourage students to learn the language to improve their future prospects,” she added.
She emphasized that May 5 was declared as World Portuguese Language Day in 2009 by the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) and was later officially recognized in 2019 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), becoming an official date on the UN calendar.
Reporter: Domingas
Photo: Domingas