(Yes I do realise it is Tuesday - just taking a wee break to blog ...)
Yesterday we celebrated Australia Day. As still new Aussies, we headed for the city and enjoyed all the offerings on display, watched the tall boat race in the harbour, rode in Dennis - the 71 year old omnibus and soaked up the sun and the rain that fell late in the day.
Yet it struck me that we were 'celebrating' colonisation. New Zealand commemorates recognition of indigenous people by the Crown (and acknowledges breaches of that Treaty throughout history), the USA celebrate emancipation from British rule. And we celebrate invasion by the British and genocide of the inhabitants and guardians of the land for millennia.
Then on the TV news I heard an item that resonated with my ponderings through the day. This day is known by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Survival Day or Invasion Day. Our new Australian of the Year, Mick Dodson, has called for a national discussion about the best day to commemorate our nationhood.
To which the Prime Minister has said no. Just like that. A "simple, respectful, but straightforward no"
I hope and pray that the conversation does not end here, but continues.
And in 2010 I will seek out a survival day event to participate in.
3 comments:
How nice to learn about your country. Happy festivities!
Thank you for sharing this rather disturbing information--it enlightened my family about what Australia Day means and calls to mind similar issues around Columbus Day here. (Always glorified at school though we try to discuss alternate perspectives at home).
I well remember the Aboriginal protests around the 400th(?) anniversary of Columbus's voyage to what is now North America. The indigenous folks used terms like "holocaust" and "disaster" to describe the results of that voyage, and with good reason.
I thought Australia had elected a bit more of a leftist government: maybe Peter Garrett (Midnight Oil, now MP) needs a letter of protest, unless he has sold out in his being elected.
You are quite right to raise this issue. Good stuff!
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