By: Ellen Truchon, Student Ambassador, USA Pavilion 2012

When I think of tropical music, I think of Caribbean islands and Latin American countries. However, after attending the National Day ceremony for the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (also known as East Timor), I now associate East Timor with tropical music as well. I went to the ceremony knowing practically nothing about East Timor. For starters, I had no idea where East Timor was located on the globe; I actually assumed it was just somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, so I was surprised when East Timor’s representative speaker gave his speech in what I first thought was Spanish. It was only later that I found out that the language he was speaking was in fact Portuguese. This made more sense after I learned that Portugal had colonized what is now known as East Timor during the 16^th century.

East Timor had a nationally famous traditional instrumental and vocal group perform several songs. The performers were dressed in apparel that appeared tribal with feather headdresses and colorful fabrics. They played a diverse array of instruments from the violin and tambourine to the guitar and bass. As I listened to their songs and watched projections full of images from their oceans, there were moments when I actually felt like I was sitting in a serene tropical island. In addition to the tropical rhythm in their music, I actually noticed contemporary and pop influences as well, which was rather unexpected. Overall, their music was very pleasant to listen to and I had a wonderful experience!