Commonwealth? More like stolen wealth
The Commonwealth Games are about to get underway in Melbourne, and while most people are focussed on Ian Thorpe pulling out and/or how many medals New Zealand can expect to win (I hear 50), a former Green Party staffer is tackling a much more important issue - the plight of aboriginal people in Australia.
Rayna Fahey was once Nandor’s Executive Assistant, and is now based in Australia, where she is heavily involved in the Stolenwealth Games and Black GST campaigns, which seek to raise awareness of the terrible injustices done to aboriginal people in Australia in the name of the British Crown.
In this opinion piece for Scoop, Rayna gives some background to the campaigns and explains why the Commonwealth Games, in particular, is a target:
The 2006 Commonwealth Games is an opportunity for Australia to showcase its success and wealth to the rest of the former British Empire. Such spectacles can only be held in economically secure locations and are only successful when a vibrant local culture is able to hold the festival up and make it shine. The financial benefits for cities that host these extravaganza are huge. As Commonwealth Games Minister Justin Madden said “It’s the best thing we’ve ever done. We’ll be displaying to the world what we’re best at, in sport, in festivities, in celebration and unity”.
Unfortunately for Minister Madden, the last point is under major debate.
For the Indigenous people of Australia, the Games is a symbol of an undeclared war on their land and against their people. The Aboriginal people - being the oldest known human culture on this planet - have been persecuted by the policies of the Government and ultimately, the British Monarch for over two centuries. For a 40,000 plus year-old culture, it can hardly be surprising that lots of people would be more interested in having words with the Queen while she’s here, than getting excited about a bunch of sweaty, lycra-clad athletes. The Games are a symbolic demonstration of everything the Commonwealth and former Empire stand for; physical conquest over others for glory and power. The only difference is, with the Games there are strict-yet fair rules which are firmly enforced.
It’s a bold move to target an international sports event to highlight such a controversial political issue, but it just goes to show that far from not mixing, sport and politics can be linked in the most powerful way to highlight some of the most concerning injustices - Apartheid, the Mugabe regime, ongoing destruction of aboriginal people - we’ve seen in recent years.
March 10th, 2006 at 11:10 am
Great stuff Rayna!
I taught in a girls’ secondary school in Sydney (1970/1) and was very disturbed by the attitudes towards Aboriginal Australians in the general community then, and by the quiet demenor of the very few Aboriginal girls in the school. These girls were willing to talk privately to a Kiwi teacher who asked questions, but generally said nothing. (In contrast, girls of new-migrant Asian origin were confident and therefore “included”.)
Having only “passed through” Australia since then I gained the impression that among the current young generation more confidence and pride are evident but there is still a long way to go …
March 10th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
I once have met an Australian guy that told me how the Aboriginal people reacted to the English settlers arriving on their land.
“Imagine a space-ship landing here now: would you just look at it and keep on making your wood carvings and all, like they did?”
I asked if that indifferent reaction to the European aliens justified their genocide.
I still haven’t got any answer.
March 16th, 2006 at 8:49 am
Go Rayna!
Great article, and highly synchronistic as my son is doing a project on the Games at school, right this week. Not sure if this will motivate him to add some new info to the “mainstream” slant school is expecting, but I’ll offer your POV for him to see.
Big hugs from this side of the ditch, KT
March 16th, 2006 at 11:42 am
nice articles and links