National Cultural Policy launched
Yesterday, the Minister for the Arts unveiled Australia’s new National Cultural Policy.
“Creative Australia, the Australian Government’s 2013 national cultural policy, celebrates Australia’s strong, diverse and inclusive culture. It describes the essential role arts and culture play in the life of every Australian and how creativity is central to Australia’s economic and social success: a creative nation is a productive nation.”
Cultural diversity vs feminism
[Cross posted at Ariane's Little World] The global coverage of the horrific death of a woman from Delhi has certainly shone the light on the difficulties of navigating universal women’s rights in a world where cultures are not all the same, and are certainly not equal in power. As usual the Oz has lead the [...]
When is anger allowed?
If you raise these issues when Gillard is riding high, you are accused of trying to bring her down. If you raise the issue when Gillard is trailing in the polls you are accused of trying to destroy her chances. If you raise these issues when everything is going smoothly then you are accused of rocking the boat.
Marking twenty years since the Mabo decision
Today, it is twenty years since since native title was first recognised in Australia and the doctrine of terra nullius was rejected by the High Court.
2012 Australian Women Writers Challenge Review: Carpentaria by Alexis Wright
Jo Tamar’s first review for the 2012 Australian Women Writer’s Challenge – Carpentaria by Alexis Wright.
BTW: “invasion”
I put up a post on LP about it yesterday. The discussion is mostly better than I feared.
Quick Hit – Oh really?
The hanging suicide of a transgender Aboriginal woman in a male jail could not have been prevented by the Department of Corrective Services, a coroner has found.
Namatjira at Belvoir Street Theatre
If, like me, you are interested in seeing more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories, you will be delighted to hear that the Belvoir Street Theatre’s collaboration with Big hARTto produce Namatjira has resulted in the best play I’ve seen for a long, long time.
5 young white men “of good character” beat Aboriginal man to death
five young men in the Northern Territory – Scott Doody, Timothy Hird, Joshua Spears, Anton Kloeden, and Glen Swain – who after a drinking spree drove along the Todd River creek-bed deliberately terrorising sleeping aboriginals camping there, and who then beat one of those terrorised people, a young man named Kwementyaye Ryder, to death after he threw a bottle at their car
Quickhit: James Cameron on the Lakota Sioux people
The Guardian has this quote from James Cameron, director of the movie Avatar, which has been widely criticised as a White Saviour movie. (See our previous conversation on Avatar.) Cameron said witnessing indigenous ceremonies and meetings in the Amazon had made him reflect on the plight of the North American Indians and inspired him to [...]
Quickhit: Icedancers with a new twist on blackface.
Via baby_elvis, this ice-dancing routine. From the news: Russian world ice-skating champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin have danced around the controversy surrounding their Aboriginal-themed routine, insisting they will still use it at the Winter Olympics. Aboriginal elders say the pair’s two-and-a-half minute routine causes serious cultural offence. But Domnina and Shabalin, favourites to win [...]
Imaginary what now? Terra nullius and the Scouting movement
After seeing the camping strips in Calvin & Hobbes, the Lad wanted me to look into local Cub Scouts. Y’all know I’m not too keen on the theist and heterosexist (and etc) aspects of Scouts, but I went to have a look at the webpage anyhow. And saw this. (Emphasis is mine.) Cub Scout adult [...]
Tom Calma: Indigenous Advisory Body to have Full Gender Equality at All Levels
Tom Calma, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, announced today at the National Press Club the proposed formation of a new national advisory body to bring the voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to the Minister, Parliament, and bureaucrats. Tom Calma is lder from the Kungarakan tribal group and a member [...]
11 August 2009: Yolngu Nation Federation
Edited to add 11 Aug 2136(+8): The Indigenous people of north-eastern Arnhem Land have formed a federation and declared self-government — and nobody noticed. There is almost complete radio silence in the media, blogs, twitter… everywhere. It’s rather eerie. SMH: “Yolngu clans decide on self-government” Sixty Yolngu clans of East Arnhem Land representing at least [...]
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