The Cult Of Gusmao

In struggling East Timor, a grass-roots rebel ignites the spirit of nationhood

The woman in black is waiting for him. Xanana Gusmao, East Timor's poet-revolutionary and de facto leader, is working his way through a crowd of admirers. When he reaches her, she throws her arms around him and sobs uncontrollably on his shoulder. Her husband and brother were killed by the Indonesian-backed militia last September--what should she do with her five children? Gusmao holds her for a very long time, all the while talking in a low, soothing voice. Then he reaches up and gently wipes tears from the woman's face, kisses her on both cheeks and moves on. The mass of...

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