Australia: Racism, poverty behind explosion
THE ABORIGINAL area of Redfern near Sydney in Australia exploded in a riot last weekend after a 14 year old died. JARVIS RYAN from Socialist Worker's Australian sister organisation reports.
ON SATURDAY morning Thomas Hickey, a young Aboriginal boy, was riding his bicycle through Redfern. Somehow he fell off, was impaled on a fence and died. The exact circumstances aren't known. But rumour spread through the Aboriginal community that he had been pursued by police.
By Sunday evening there was a full-scale riot. It took nine hours before the police could get control. The police admit they have never seen anything like it. Up to 50 of them were injured. The government has tried to put it down to misunderstanding, alcohol and the very hot weather.
But Redfern was a tinderbox waiting for a spark. The death of Thomas was a catalyst for all the grievances of Aboriginal people. They suffer an 80 percent unemployment rate. They die 20 years younger compared to the rest of the population.
The rate of incarceration of Aboriginal people is incredible. There is hatred of the police. Thomas's aunt was reported in the press saying, "They are nasty. They treat our kids like dogs." Many think the very heavy police presence in the area after Thomas died was a source of the anger. Some of the Aboriginal leaders applauded the young people. Redfern is one kilometre from Sydney's central business district, the wealthiest part of Australia. You can stand and look at that while in front of you is a Third World slum.
The conditions are terrible there. But the area is synonymous with Aboriginal Australia. The people there want to stay. Redfern is part of an inner city area that is being gentrified. The government wants to sell off the public housing and "improve the social mix", which means getting rid of the poor people.
The reaction to the riot from the government and media has had to be very restrained. Sydney is this "world city" with a big problem in the middle of it. And Aboriginal people are angry at the racism they face.
© Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original.
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=686
samedi 7 février 2009
Corones Para Los Muertos - ( A Streetcar Named Desire)
After researching this celebration that takes place in South America and that Aboriginal dancers reminded me of; I found that it was called El Dia De Los Muertos or Los Difuntos, and originated in pre-hispanic Mexico but also takes place in other South American countries such as Ecuador. The original celebration can be traced to the festivities held during the Aztec month of Miccailhuitontli , ritually lead by the goddess Mictecacihuatl (Lady of the Dead), and dedicated to children and the dead. The rituals during this month also featured a festivity dedicated to the major Aztec war god known as Huitzilopochtli, or the sinister hummingbird; tiny, swift and jewel-like.
The festival is usually or greater importance in rural areas of Mexico, in the South of the country which has a stronger Indian influence, and before it was moved to just after Halloween by Spanish Priests, it took place in late July to early August.
What interested me was that this festival is very cheerful and exuberant, as it is used to lovingly remember one’s ancestors instead of fearing them, and from what I already know, the Aborigines also had great respect for their ancestors. Another similarity that I found was the white paint (that looked skeleton-like in Aboriginal dance and skull-like in Mexican Dia De Los Muertos costumes), their use of stilts which instantly draws your attention to them
http://www.inside-mexico.com/featuredead.htm
Here are some passages from the site's analysis of history and traditions:
“From the beginning of time, man has felt the need to explain the mystery of life and death. Many civilizations and cultures have created rituals to try and give meaning to human existence....
...To the indigenous peoples of Mexico, death was considered the passage to a new life and so the deceased were buried with many of their personal objects, which they would need in the hereafter....
...Sometimes, when people of other cultures hear for the first time about the celebration of the Day of the Dead, they mistakenly think it must be: gruesome, terrifying, scary, ugly and sad. Nothing further from the truth, Day of the Dead is a beautiful ritual in which Mexicans happily and lovingly remember their loved relatives that have died. Much like when we go to a graveyard to leave some lovely flowers on a tomb of a relative.
...Markets are filled with the cempasúchil flower; this orange marigold was the flower that the Aztecs used to remember their dead by. Its color represents the tones of earth and is used to guide the souls to their homes and altars....
...Very early in October, all over the country, bakeries offer the delicious Pan de Muerto, Day of the Dead bread, made with flour, butter, sugar, eggs, orange peel, anise and yeast. The bread is adorned with strips of dough simulating bones and at the top a small round piece of dough that symbolizes teardrops. These breads are placed on the altars or ofrendas, and are also taken to the tombs in the graveyard...
The Danza de los Viejitos, Dance of the Old Men is representative dance of this region. In pre-Hispanic times this dance was performed as a ritual honoring the Sun.”
The festival is usually or greater importance in rural areas of Mexico, in the South of the country which has a stronger Indian influence, and before it was moved to just after Halloween by Spanish Priests, it took place in late July to early August.
What interested me was that this festival is very cheerful and exuberant, as it is used to lovingly remember one’s ancestors instead of fearing them, and from what I already know, the Aborigines also had great respect for their ancestors. Another similarity that I found was the white paint (that looked skeleton-like in Aboriginal dance and skull-like in Mexican Dia De Los Muertos costumes), their use of stilts which instantly draws your attention to them
http://www.inside-mexico.com/featuredead.htm
Here are some passages from the site's analysis of history and traditions:
“From the beginning of time, man has felt the need to explain the mystery of life and death. Many civilizations and cultures have created rituals to try and give meaning to human existence....
...To the indigenous peoples of Mexico, death was considered the passage to a new life and so the deceased were buried with many of their personal objects, which they would need in the hereafter....
...Sometimes, when people of other cultures hear for the first time about the celebration of the Day of the Dead, they mistakenly think it must be: gruesome, terrifying, scary, ugly and sad. Nothing further from the truth, Day of the Dead is a beautiful ritual in which Mexicans happily and lovingly remember their loved relatives that have died. Much like when we go to a graveyard to leave some lovely flowers on a tomb of a relative.
...Markets are filled with the cempasúchil flower; this orange marigold was the flower that the Aztecs used to remember their dead by. Its color represents the tones of earth and is used to guide the souls to their homes and altars....
...Very early in October, all over the country, bakeries offer the delicious Pan de Muerto, Day of the Dead bread, made with flour, butter, sugar, eggs, orange peel, anise and yeast. The bread is adorned with strips of dough simulating bones and at the top a small round piece of dough that symbolizes teardrops. These breads are placed on the altars or ofrendas, and are also taken to the tombs in the graveyard...
The Danza de los Viejitos, Dance of the Old Men is representative dance of this region. In pre-Hispanic times this dance was performed as a ritual honoring the Sun.”
Change Is Coming
Just a quick message to say expect a lot less messages from everyday theatre lessons, but a lot more inspiration and research than before! I have been starting to try to broaden my horizon and so have been starting to read more, go to art galleries, watch documentaries and take a closer look at fashion! I'm beginning to realise that everything I experience can influence any Theatre pieces that I create- and these experiences could be anything- from a speech by a politician on the news, a song on the radio, a stroll in Dubai's old souks or a trip abroad!
To begin, here are some pictures relating to the Aboriginal workshop that have just started:
These pictures remind me of a celebration that takes place in South America and that I had heard of as a child. I can't remember exactly what the celebration is called nor what it entails, but I will definatly look it up for my next post and see what it has in common with Aboriginal dance! I'm sure it has to do with the white paint used by the dancers on these pictures and which looks almost skeleton-like at times...
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