On Tuesday night (April 13th) , I performed with the 'Tongues of Fire' Community Choir in King George Square for the 'Messages of Hope 24 Hour Musicians Live-In'.
It was AWESOME! I had the best time... It was so good to see such a great lot of support from people from all walks of life, from Brisbane and other parts of Australia and the world!
I want to say -WORD UP!- to all the musicians who participated in this awesome event. I admire you stacks! Not just because of your incredible talents, but for sharing your thoughts and feelings about this social responsibility and giving a shit! You all rock my world in a big way! Mmmmwaah!!
Another thing that I wanted to mention was the way people were so responsive to each other. The atmosphere was glowing and everyone could feel it. I spoke to a few people (who I didn't know previously) and found that we all had one very important thing in common - COMPASSION and EMPATHY.
Another thing I wanted to mention, which may turn out to be a controversial issue to mention, was my interaction with some local indigenous fellows. I have seen them in King George Square before and have never really given them much thought - Just that I didn't stop or look their way for too long. One of the young guys was wearing a shirt that said 'Australia has a Black History', to which I agree. There is a lot in history, that isn't spoken about, that should be spoken about. And of what is talked about, it's presented by non-Indigenous people, who don’t have a connection with the culture. They tend to present stale – stereotyped facts that only have a fraction of truth to them. I know that is a broad statement – I will be adding more as I learn and discover.
While I was watching the musicians in King George Square, the young fellow was wearing a traditional red lap-lap and body paint. He was carrying his Yidaki/Mandu and was wanting to play and be part of the event. I felt it was his right to be a part of it, however some may have thought that it was not the time or place… I guess it’s debatable. One of the older men approached me and asked me to jam with him. I declined but he smiled and kept asking me. He was asking me if I knew various songs. I smiled back at him and politely declined his offer again. He nudged me and said ‘I look around here and see that you are the only dark girl’. I thought about that for a second and agreed that he was right, but at the same time, I looked around and saw people of many other cultures and people who genuinely appreciate diversity. I didn’t tell him this. I think, that he may have been thinking that just because I was the only ‘dark’ girl there, that I was only person there who cared or wanted to understand his culture. I don’t think he understood that the reason for everyone’s presence was because they do care - so strongly. But if that was the case, I don’t blame him. He can see a bunch of people gathered together to appreciate the music of various cultures, in aid of people from overseas, while he feels forgotten about in his homeland.
I guess my main point is to appreciate diversity. Keep culture alive, in particular, the (Ab)original culture of this country. I think it’s important for Australia to grow, to accept new people and new cultures, but not at the expense of the existing one.
I think that this issue, for me, has been a long time coming. There have been signs in my life lately that all point to one thing for me - Understand and Learn more about the past, present and future of the Indigenous people and cultures of Australia. I am working on a SOSE assignment at uni this semester, and I have chosen 'Indigenous Perspectives' as my topic - so no doubt I will learn a lot and keep you posted with my developing thoughts and opinions. So it's a good thing I have my own website, so I can share my voice :D
I have entered the teacher talent quest for prac and I think, in honour of this gentle, misunderstood, forgotten man, I am going to sing ‘My Island Home’ – Neil Murray, originally written for the Warumpi Band and re-released by Christina Anu. I hope he will feel the vibe I send to him through song.
Love yas!!
Nee xxx
PS:
Perhaps you feel the same as me? Or not... I signed this a few years ago, because I agree. I said sorry that it happened, sorry that you endured pain and suffering. Some people (like John Howard) don't want to say sorry and I think this is because they don't understand the context of the appology. You are not saying sorry beacause it is your fault, but beacsue it happened at all, the same way you would say sorry to someone you knew who had recently lost someone to death. If you understand what I am trying to get at, perhaps you'd like to sign this too...
http://apology.west.net.au/