A Timely, But Un political,

Book On Portuguese Timor

Because many people believe that Portuguese Timor will be the next piece of country “liberated” by President Soekarno, Margaret King’s Eden to Paradise can be considered timely.

Strangely enough, it is also sympathetic to the present adminis tration of the eastern half of the big island of Timor.

WE say “strangely sympathetic’’ ad visedly, because although it is far from clear what the author is, she appears to be some sort of university researcher —and, in our experience, university personnel are likely to be more anti-colonial than Soekarno.

Margaret—and bully for her— found, however, that the Portuguese and Timorese were all perfect sweeties; and that the country was

beautiful and fascinating. Moreover, she says little or nothing about colon ialism, exploitation or self-govern ment. All of which is remarkable in this day and age when it is fashion able for our more enlightened Afro- Asian friends to hold Portugal up as a horrible example.

The material in the book covers two visits to Timor —the first of which was designed as an interlude in ethnological research at Melville Island; and the second, for academic field-work. The sum total of the two expeditions, however, adds up to a pretty detailed account of Portuguese Timor and the Timorese with special attention to music, dancing, singing, arts, crafts, religion and culture.

The author writes like a young girl seeing the tropics for the first time; her style is naive and without frills and her own enthusiasm for the strange land is transmitted through a slightly rosy haze. Nonetheless, her observations are skilled and detailed.

Few books have been written about Timor —at least in English—and this contemporary account of the people may be even more valuable soon.

The life of the Timorese, accord ing to this account, is simple but rich in its own culture and tradition and still little complicated by outside pressures and politics.

It now merely remains to be seen how soon someone will try to change

all that.-

JT.

(Eden To Paradise. Hodder &

Stoughton. 37/3.)