The Redundancy of Courage
Encyclopedia
The Redundancy of Courage is a novel by Timothy Mo
published in 1991. It is set in the fictitious country of Danu in Southeast Asia
, which is based on East Timor
, and is narrated by Adolph Ng, an ethnic Chinese
businessman educated in Canada
.
colony
, invaded and occupied by its giant neighbour, which is not named, but is based on Indonesia
. The people of the occupying country are referred to throughout the book as the malai, similar to 'malae' the word for foreigner in Tetum, East Timor's national language. Danu is annexed by the malai and declared their 'fifty-eighth province', over which their green and white flag is raised. (Indonesia declared East Timor its 'twenty-seventh province', and its flag
is red and white. In any case, by part three of the novel Mo's description of the malai flag has changed to red and white too (chapter 25))
(from 2002—07 the country's President), Joaquim Lobato, based on exiled leader José Ramos-Horta (later Foreign Minister, Prime Minister and now President), and Bill Mabbely, based on Australia
n journalist Roger East
, who was killed by Indonesian troops in Dili
on the day of the invasion. The date of the malai invasion of Danu, December 7, is the same as that of Indonesia's invasion of East Timor.
Similarly, the nationalist party FAKOUM is based on FRETILIN, the FAKINTIL guerrilla army is based on Falintil
, and the Amalgamationists are based on APODETI, the only party to advocate East Timor's integration with Indonesia. The malai island based on the Indonesian island of Bali
is called Dili, the same name as the capital of East Timor, but the town of Balibo
exists, and the killing of the Australian journalists
is also depicted in the novel.
The city of Bacalhau (which takes its name from the Portuguese
word for cod), is based on Baucau
, East Timor's second largest city, while the name of the malai General Rebus, is taken from the Indonesian
word for 'boiled' - mi rebus being boiled noodles.
Timothy Mo
Timothy Peter Mo is an Anglo-Chinese novelist. Born to a Welsh-Yorkshire mother and a Hong Kong Chinese father, Mo lived in Hong Kong until the age of 10 before he moved to Britain, studying at St John's College, Oxford.He self-publishes his books under the label "Paddleless Press".- Novels :*The...
published in 1991. It is set in the fictitious country of Danu in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, which is based on East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
, and is narrated by Adolph Ng, an ethnic Chinese
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
businessman educated in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Plot introduction
Like East Timor, Danu is a PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
, invaded and occupied by its giant neighbour, which is not named, but is based on Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The people of the occupying country are referred to throughout the book as the malai, similar to 'malae' the word for foreigner in Tetum, East Timor's national language. Danu is annexed by the malai and declared their 'fifty-eighth province', over which their green and white flag is raised. (Indonesia declared East Timor its 'twenty-seventh province', and its flag
Flag of Indonesia
The national flag of Indonesia, which is known as Sang Saka Merah-Putih or Bendera Merah-Putih or simply Merah-Putih in Indonesian, is based on the banner of the 13th century Majapahit Empire in East Java...
is red and white. In any case, by part three of the novel Mo's description of the malai flag has changed to red and white too (chapter 25))
Allusions/references to actual history and geography
Although the characters are fictional, they are closely based on people involved in events in East Timor during 1975. They include Xavier Ray 'X Ray' Xaneiros, based on resistance leader Xanana GusmãoXanana Gusmão
Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão GCL is a former militant who was the first President of East Timor, serving from May 2002 to May 2007...
(from 2002—07 the country's President), Joaquim Lobato, based on exiled leader José Ramos-Horta (later Foreign Minister, Prime Minister and now President), and Bill Mabbely, based on Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n journalist Roger East
Roger East
Roger East was an Australian journalist who was executed by the Indonesian military in its invasion of East Timor in 1975....
, who was killed by Indonesian troops in Dili
Dili
Dili, spelled Díli in Portuguese, is the capital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of East Timor.-Geography and Administration:Dili lies on the northern coast of Timor island, the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands....
on the day of the invasion. The date of the malai invasion of Danu, December 7, is the same as that of Indonesia's invasion of East Timor.
Similarly, the nationalist party FAKOUM is based on FRETILIN, the FAKINTIL guerrilla army is based on Falintil
Falintil
Falintil originally began as the military wing of the political party FRETILIN of East Timor. It was established on 20 August 1975 in response to FRETILIN’s political conflict with the Timorese Democratic Union ....
, and the Amalgamationists are based on APODETI, the only party to advocate East Timor's integration with Indonesia. The malai island based on the Indonesian island of Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
is called Dili, the same name as the capital of East Timor, but the town of Balibo
Balibo
Balibo is a town in East Timor situated approximately from the Indonesian border. It is located in the subdistrict of Balibo, Bobonaro District....
exists, and the killing of the Australian journalists
Balibo Five
The Balibo Five was a group of journalists for Australian television networks based in the town of Balibo in East Timor where they were killed on 16 October 1975 during Indonesian incursions prior to the invasion....
is also depicted in the novel.
The city of Bacalhau (which takes its name from the Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
word for cod), is based on Baucau
Baucau
Baucau is the second-largest city in East Timor, after Dili, the capital, which lies 122 km east of Dili.Baucau has about 16,000 inhabitants, and is the capital of Baucau, located in the eastern part of the country...
, East Timor's second largest city, while the name of the malai General Rebus, is taken from the Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
word for 'boiled' - mi rebus being boiled noodles.