Xanana Gusmão, charismatic prime minister of East Timor

[asakiyume]

Reasons to love Xanana Gusmão:

• As a teenage soccer goalie, he "was too busy making up sonnets to actually stop any goals" (as I found out from reading The Crossing)
  
  
• The obvious: he was a total badass freedom fighter. Forced to drop out of school at age fifteen due to lack of money, he become active advocating East Timor's independence from Portugal, then led the resistance against Indonesia after the latter invaded East Timor. He was captured in 1992 and sentenced to life imprisonment, but was released in 1999 when Indonesia withdrew from East Timor, whereupon he returned to help East Timor make a go as an independent nation.
  
  
• His nickname Xanana comes from the American rock-and-roll band Sha Na Na.
  
  
• when he got caught in a traffic jam outside the presidential office the other day, he got out of his car and helped direct traffic:
  
  

Plus, handsome!

Simultaneously warm and distinguished


and back in his freedom-fighter days


This guy SMILED FOR THE CAMERA when he was captured! How's *that* for ... I don't know, confidence? Or something!


Looking gentle and fatherly at the birth of one of his children


Making up for his youthful soccer losses


There you have it. Xanana Gusmão!

Comments

[dark-phoenix54.livejournal.com]

I suppose it's horrible of me that I want to caption him "He's the most interesting man in the world!" even though I really do mean that, and not in a sarcastic way.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

LOL, my daughter said the same thing :D

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

I feel a bit better now, as I had the same reaction too.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Definitely similar....




... but Gusmão is Way Cuter



(Plus I realized looking at pictures of him when he was younger that he's very like my first boyfriend...)

[wuweibaby.livejournal.com]

Ha!

[wuweibaby.livejournal.com]

Stay thirsty, my friend.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Will do--you too! (probably browngirl will too ^_^)

[wuweibaby.livejournal.com]

:)

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

^_^

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

Cool!

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Yep--damn cool.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Hunky!

He's quite a character! :o)

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

So charming ^_^

[dudeshoes.livejournal.com]

I think I understand what country is W---

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Lots of countries contributed to W--! East Timor lacks a volcano, for one thing. And itonly became its own independent country in 1999 (and only said goodbye to the last UN peacekeepers this past December), whereas W-- has been independent since 1961 or 1963, I forget which (must check my notes).

But yes. East Timor is among them, for sure!

[stormdog.livejournal.com]

My class on Southeast Asia talked about East Timor and their fight for independence. It was saddening, but I'm glad they made it. Thanks for this little profile!

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I'm glad they did too! They've still got a hard row to hoe, but here's hoping.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

I was wondering where all the great political leaders had gone, what with Cameron, Hollande, Berlusconi, etc. Now I see: they can be found in tiny Third World countries with rocky recent histories. You don't suppose we could borrow him to govern Italy for about five years?

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

It might be worth asking!