Homan Maubara (Maubara Baskets)

The Baskets of Maubara was the first non-textiles exhibition held by Timor Aid to promote the work of the Maubara basket weavers in Liquica District. This exhibition took place in Xanana Cultural Centre, Sentru Kultural Xanana (SKX) in Lecidere, Dili between December 4 and December 15, 2014.

The materials and processes of basket weaving were shared with audiences to promote greater understanding and appreciation of the history and the expertise behind the Maubara weavers.

This exhibition was organized together with the launch of the book Maubara Basket, written by Ms Joanna Barrkman. The launch was hosted by the French Ambassador for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Ms Corine Breuze. Also present were the ambassador of the European Commission to Timor-Leste, Ms. Sylvie Tabesse, French Defence attaché to Indonesia, representative of the Consulate of France to Timor-Leste, Aurelie Saguin, and the representative of Secretary of State for Art and Culture. Maubara Basket is about the distinctive basket weaving in this area, the publication was made possible with the support of French Institute to Timor-Leste.

The basket weavers enthusiastically demonstrated their weaving skills to the audience and set up a display table of their product for sale. The exhibition was part of the Timor Aid Culture Program funded by European Commission to build the capacity of local institution working in the culture sector. We also would like to thank the generosity of the Sentru Cultural Xanana for enabling us to host the exhibition at the centre, National Commission for Unesco (NatCom) and Legioval for their support in this exhibition.