They cannot say their thoughts (or, If Cohen sang Oodgeroo)

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Glitter and guts

All those years I had been excluded from the Anzac narrative because the Defence Act had outlawed Black enlistment. Lest we forget morphs into satire when you uncover the depths of collective amnesia surrounding Black service in World War I and Black resistance since colonisation. The more accurate catchphrase would be Best we forget. How can we be ‘one’ when we are not allowed to remember equally? Nostalgia is selective about remembrance.

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Supercut

In ConversationQuestioning the past is a vital part of my role as an artist. Art has the influence to shape the way we think and perceive the world, as it has throughout history. I’m motivated by the desire to improve and do better, and the same goes for how I want my art career to proceed. The need to do better in the future is predicated on the fact that to do so, we need to revisit and interrogate the past. This is especially important in a country such as Australia, founded on colonial violence and with a legacy of racism that persists today.

Disrupting the colonial narrative

Essay The many Indigenous nations of the globe have always been storytellers, and our stories tell of an animate reality in which everything lives and...

Glitter & gold

PoetryListen to Sachém Parkin-Owens read his poem ‘Glitter & gold’ accompanied by world-renowned beatboxer Tom Thumb. We need action Not condolences Far too long we marched, danced and died Screamed, starved and...