 | |
| Author | Timothy Mo |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
Publication date | 1991 |
The Redundancy of Courage is a novel by Timothy Mo published in 1991. [1] It is set in the fictitious country of Danu in Southeast Asia, which is based on East Timor. [2] It is narrated by Adolph Ng, an ethnic Chinese businessman educated in Canada. [3] [4] It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction. [5]
Like East Timor, Danu is a former Portuguese colony north of Australia. [6] It is invaded and occupied by its giant neighbour, which is not named, but is based on Indonesia. [7] The people of the occupying country are referred to throughout the book as the malai. [8] This similar to malae, the word for foreigner in Tetum, East Timor's main language. [9] Danu is annexed by the malai and declared their 'fifty-eighth province', [10] over which their green and white flag is raised. [11]
Although the characters are fictional, they are closely based on people involved in events in East Timor during 1975. [12] Osvaldo Oliveira, commander of the FAKINTIL guerilla army, is based on Nicolau Lobato, who became Prime Minister following the unilateral declaration of independence in 1975, and Xanana Gusmão, who later became the first President of East Timor in 2002. [13] FAKOUM, the pro-independence party, is based on Fretilin. [14] FAKINTIL is similarly based on Falintil. [15] [16]
Joaquim Lobato is based on exiled leader José Ramos-Horta (later Foreign Minister, Prime Minister and President). [17] Bill Mabbely is based on Australian journalist Roger East, who was killed by Indonesian troops in Dili on the day of the invasion. [17] The date of the malai invasion of Danu, 7 December, is the same as that of Indonesia's invasion of East Timor. [16] [18]
Balibo, the town where five Australian-based journalists were killed, [19] is depicted in the novel, as is the killing of the journalists. [20]
East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. The country comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor and the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco. The first inhabitants are thought to be descendant of Australoid and Melanesian peoples. The Portuguese began to trade with Timor by the early 16th century and colonised it throughout the mid-century. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty for which Portugal ceded the western half of the island. Imperial Japan occupied East Timor during World War II, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese surrender.
Balibo is a town in East Timor situated approximately 10 kilometres from the Indonesian border. It is located in the sub-district of Balibo, Bobonaro District.
The Balibo Five was a group of journalists for Australian commercial television networks who were murdered in the period leading up to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor. The Balibo Five were based in the town of Balibo in East Timor, where they were killed on 16 October 1975 during Indonesian incursions before the invasion. Roger East travelled to Balibo soon after to investigate the likely deaths of the Five and was later executed by members of the Indonesian military on the docks of Dili.
Timothy Peter Mo is a British Asian novelist. Born to a British mother and a Hong Kong father, Mo lived in Hong Kong until the age of 10, when he moved to Britain. Educated at Mill Hill School and St John's College, Oxford, Mo worked as a journalist before becoming a novelist.
The Kopassus is an Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabotage, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, intelligence gathering and special reconnaissance (SR). Kopassus was founded by Alexander Evert Kawilarang and Mochammad Idjon Djanbi on 16 April 1952. It gained worldwide attention after several operations such as the Indonesian invasion of East Timor and the release of hostages from Garuda Indonesia Flight 206.
Danu is an ancient Scythian word meaning "river". The commonly proposed etymology of the names of the Danube River, Dnieper River, Dniester River, Don River, and Donets River.
Roger East was an Australian journalist who was murdered by the Indonesian military during its invasion of East Timor in 1975.
Nicolau dos Reis Lobato was an East Timorese politician who is considered the national hero of the country.
The Indonesian invasion of East Timor, known in Indonesia as Operation Lotus, began on 7 December 1975 when the Indonesian military (ABRI/TNI) invaded East Timor under the pretext of anti-colonialism and anti-communism to overthrow the Fretilin regime that had emerged in 1974. The overthrow of the popular and short-lived Fretilin-led government sparked a violent quarter-century occupation in which approximately 100,000–180,000 soldiers and civilians are estimated to have been killed or starved to death. The Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor documented a minimum estimate of 102,000 conflict-related deaths in East Timor throughout the entire period from 1974 to 1999, including 18,600 violent killings and 84,200 deaths from disease and starvation; Indonesian forces and their auxiliaries combined were responsible for 70% of the killings.
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Muhammad Yunus Yosfiah is an Indonesian politician and a decorated member of the Indonesian Army. Yosfiah served as Minister of Information of Indonesia in the Development Reform Cabinet between 1998 and 1999.
The Indonesian occupation of East Timor began in December 1975 and lasted until October 1999. After centuries of Portuguese colonial rule in East Timor, the 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal led to the decolonisation of its former colonies, creating instability in East Timor and leaving its future uncertain. After a small-scale civil war, the pro-independence Fretilin declared victory in the capital city of Dili and declared an independent East Timor on 28 November 1975.
Jill Jolliffe was an Australian journalist and author who reported on East Timor since 1975. She was the author of Finding Santana and Balibo.
Balibo is a 2009 Australian war film that follows the story of the Balibo Five, a group of journalists who were captured and killed while reporting on activities just prior to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor of 1975. The film is loosely based on the 2001 book Cover-Up by Jill Jolliffe, an Australian journalist who met the men before they were killed.
Robert Connolly is an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter based in Melbourne, Victoria. He is best known as the director and writer of the feature films Balibo, Three Dollars, The Bank and The Dry and its sequel, as well as the producer of Romulus, My Father and The Boys. He is head of the film distribution company, Footprint Films, owned by Arenafilms.
Australia, a close neighbour of both Indonesia and East Timor, was the only country to recognise Indonesia's annexation of East Timor. Some members of the Australian public supported self-determination for East Timor, and also actively supported the independence movement within Australia. The Australian Government saw the need for both stability and good relations with their neighbour, Indonesia. However, it was criticised in some quarters, including by Xanana Gusmão for putting those issues above human rights. In 1998, the Howard government changed its stance and supported East Timor self-determination, prompting a referendum that saw East Timor gain its independence.
Clinton Fernandes is an Australian historian and academic who is professor of international and political studies at the University of New South Wales in Canberra, Australia, part of the Australian Defence Force Academy. His work is primarily concerned with Australia’s national security, in particular intelligence matters and Australia's relations with its Southeast Asian neighbours.
Isabel Barreto Lobato was a Portuguese Timorese and East Timorese politician, political activist, and member of Fretilin who was active in the movement for independence from Portugal. Barreto Lobato was a leading member of the Fretilin Women's Association at the time of East Timor's unilateral declaration of independence in November 1975. She was the wife of East Timor's UDI prime minister, Nicolau dos Reis Lobato, who held the office for nine days before the Indonesian invasion and occupation.
The Democratic Republic of East Timor, was a state that was unilaterally proclaimed on the territory of present-day East Timor on 28 November 1975 prior to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor nine days later on 7 December 1975.
The Provisional Government of East Timor (PGET),, was an Indonesian supported puppet provisional government in present day East Timor that was formed on 17 December 1975 following the Indonesian invasion of East Timor and disbanded on 17 July 1976 when the region was annexed by Indonesia as the province of Timor Timur.