We’ve learned that Southbank, the part of Brisbane where we
live, has long been a place of gathering, and still is.
Our education about this area was enriched by “Clancestry,”
a week of arts, music, crafts, and discussions we happened upon as we walked near
the riverfront near our apartment. The
annual event, in just its second year, is a celebration of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander communities for which Southbank has been a gathering
place for many years. We missed the lecturers
and discussions, but heard and saw some wonderful music, both traditional and
modern – including Australian country music, which we really liked.
To give you a taste of some more traditional music and
dance, we recorded this video … notice the didgeridoo player on the far right
of the frame:
One of the other cool things was a panel of short
biographies of Aboriginal individuals who had spent time in their youth in
Southbank, with large photos and fascinating stories. They told of boarding houses, gambling
parlors, spontaneous meet-ups, discrimination from European Australians
(Aboriginal people weren’t allowed to cross the river into downtown), touching,
painful, and poignant stories.
Clancestry gave us a new lens through which to see our neighbourhood.
Hey! Just caught up on this; haven't been receiving notices, but think I will now. When do you start teaching or researching or whatever you're going to be doing??
ReplyDeleteI'm working with some colleagues on some research concerning a study of the level of disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and how researchers and policy makers viewed the study. I'm also working with some other colleagues, hopefully to explore how to provide quality learning experiences for both in-residence and distance students. Will likely also give a seminar or two, still in discussions.
ReplyDeleteI biked to the school twice this week, very nice bike/pedestrian routes separated from the streets.
High-five for biking! And kudos for Brisbane for creating safe bike and pedestrian routes. Sigh....
ReplyDelete