The theme for this year’s National Reconciliation Week was “in this together.” Running from Wednesday, May 27th until Wednesday, June 3rd, the event couldn’t have been timelier. Not only did Reconciliation Week occur in the midst of COVID-19, but it coincided with the eruption of Black Lives Matter protests across the US and in our own backyard.
The mission of Reconciliation Australia is to strengthen “relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples.” This isn’t necessarily the number one priority for all First Nations people – some would prefer the conversation centred on treaty and sovereignty. But many First Nations musicians have used this time to express their feelings on reconciliation and speak out against the systemic oppression of their peoples.
The sentiments range from hopeful to anguished, reflective to downright angry. All of the below statements warrant our attention and should impel us into action that goes beyond simply posting a black tile on Instagram.
Neil Morris (DRMNGNOW)
Yorta Yorta musician and broadcaster Neil Morris wrote about Reconciliation on the 3RRR website: “Reconciliation Week is an important time to reflect. This year that is as crucial as it has been in any year of most of our living memories in some way. First Nations Sovereignty has never been ceded in this land. Under the Covid-19 period it has meant the world has been amidst a sense of disturbance and a precariousness that is ominous. This has been largely the First Nations experience since colonialism first reached these lands.
“This week is a really important time to think about what the future can be for all of us, and what that future looks like if we can all reflect on the fact that colonisation is a large part of why we are in this predicament right now.”
Morris also wrote about the significance of the Black Lives Matter protests on his Instagram page. “Peoples have tried peacefully for so long against a system that has been perpetually violent. Something was bound to give one way or another. In solidarity with the rage and pain from So-Called Australia. I also acknowledge the colonial history of Genocide and Police Brutality of First Nations peoples of Turtle Island and the crossover within these systematic erasure tactics. Sadly it is harrowingly relatable.”
Alice Skye
Wergaia woman Alice Skye wrote about long-standing systemic injustices in an Instagram post. “I have no respect for a system that was designed with the intent to criminalise and bring harm to the lives of so many. No respect for a system built on the backs and bodies of the people it dispossessed.
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“Don’t let your outrage for what’s in the news disappear. Apply it to our so-called “lucky country” because we need you to show up!!! Donate! Listen! Do research because the resources are there for you! This fight is not new! Burn it all down and start again.”
Mo’Ju
Mo’Ju, who’s of Wiradjuri and Filipino lineage, has shared several rousing posts on her Instagram. “I’m angry and I’m sad and I feel lost for words. But I know we have to be loud about this because there is momentum for change and we need to seize it. But PLEASE take note, this is an ongoing conversation that a lot of us have been having for long time,” she wrote.
“This is not just something to talk about ’cause it’s trending online or in the news. This is a reality that people LIVE everyday. And there are a lot of people who are grieving and exhausted. So please manage your expectations of how you think BIPOC are ‘meant to’ behave right now.
“Concern yourself with how YOU are helping to create change. Black people are fighting for their lives right now. Not just in America but on this land too. And if you feel indifferent to this then you are complicit and culpable.”
Baker Boy (Danzal Baker)
Yolngu man Danzal Baker, aka Baker Boy, shared a rare political statement on Instagram in response to the Black Lives Matter protests. “This is my life and I am scared, I have anxiety about going to unknown places like a different cafe from my usual, not to mention the challenge of touring from the fear of racism, that, yes, is still rampant here in Australia too,” he wrote.
“For all of my balanda (non-indigenous) brothers and sisters I hope what you’re seeing in America right now is opening your eyes to the stolen land that you live on here in Australia, to your privilege, to those ‘jokes’, to those ‘jokes’ that you don’t call out, to your racist uncle or aunt or cousin or friend or coworker and, most devastatingly, opening your eyes to the over 400 deaths in custody of Indigenous Australians without a single officer charged.”
Briggs
Briggs has never hesitated to voice his political opinions and he offered a typically eloquent and rightly critical statement. “I empathise with the protestors in the USA. I watched the video of that police officer flagrantly killing George Floyd in front of an audience,” the Yorta Yorta MC wrote on social media.
“I empathise with the protestors because Australia has its own history of police brutality and indigenous deaths in custody. There have been more than 400 Indigenous deaths in custody, and not a single conviction. I empathise with the protestors because, like America, Australia was founded on White supremacy, and built its wealth on the murder, rape and slavery of its Indigenous people.
“Australia parades this idea of “The Lucky Country”; but their Luck is our dispossession. Their Luck is our Death. Their Luck is our Trauma. Their Luck is our Grief.”
Christine Anu
Cultural icon and Torres Strait Islander woman Christine Anu shared a sobering statement on social media. “This could have been my son,” she wrote. “I stand with all those who are holding firm at this moment in time. I am devastated that history repeats itself again and again without change. The colour of a person’s skin should not be a threat to anyone, but again we are reminded that it is.
“Why has it even taken this long for people to be so outraged about it?! It has always happened. It is not new. What is it going to take for people to see that black lives matter? To say all lives matter is not enough. We need to voice the inequality. This is happening here in our own backyard. What is this ‘system’ supposedly protecting us?”
Jimblah
Larrakia man Jimblah was dubious of the effectiveness of the music industry’s blackout Tuesday. He preferred to share messages of pain, hope and love. “If a cop doesn’t stick a knee into your neck and suffocate you, the system will – that’s what a lifetime as a First Nations Brother has taught me. [It’s taught me that] a lack of compassion is due to a lack of understanding.
“I’ve learnt that we need Love – a great deal of Love, a Love so profound that not even We as First Peoples can grasp its true nature & form, yet.
“How many out there think that they ‘get it’, when they don’t.. This has always been our biggest obstacle, as First People’s of this Country. We need you, as the guest in this house, to understand, but you don’t.”
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