The Redfern Story: Durban International Film Festival Australia: Darlene Johnson: 2014
Redfern is where about 10 000 Australian Aboriginal people (many appear to have some infusion of European genes) came to live in Sydney. That number burgeoned. Depression, stress, low self-esteem, alcoholism, drug addiction and an increased incidence of suicide is the lot of many conquered, dispossessed and impoverished people. These problems also precipitate a great deal of internal friction and internecine feuding as well.
However in the 1970s, certain Aboriginal intellectuals responded in a manner similar to our response in South Africa during those terrible, humiliating racist times. They began a theatre movement. That reminded me of the theatre of TECON, Athol Fugard, Saira Essa, Welcome Msomi, Ketan Lakhani, Kessie Govender and Ronnie Govender etc. A number of pertinent points were made during the film. "Our literature says we exist." "Police harassment politicised us." "The police cells were called 'Abattoirs'. " There was a bookshop called THIRD WORLD BOOKS in Sydney. The white owner finally asked the Redfern people to please give him a list of books that they wanted. He would get them for the people! The Redfern people's lives mirrored so much that we experienced in South Africa. One lady spoke about how she tried to keep her children away from the rampant racism to which they were exposed. As the police and Australian society as a whole, had criminalised their very skins, the indigenous people resorted to 'spying on the police'. They would record what the police were doing to their community. Volunteer lawyers helped them as they did in South Africa during Apartheid. But of course we all had to jump up and down in the cauldron of racist laws designed by racist lawyers to keep the conquered shackled. The indigenous also set up Aboriginal medical and legal services. A satirical cartoon about a ship loads of white conquerors and their families flooding into Oz certainly drew a few knowing nods: "We need a more restrictive immigration policy," was the caption. In one of my short stories, 'The Guests', I wrote about there being no 'Mighty Mouse' to help us when the Neo Nazis terrorised us. In the Aussie film a character called SUPER BONG is depicted. When he tries to change into his super-hero uniform in a hotel, he is not allowed in! Bobby Merritt wrote a script while in jail! The theatre people had to collect revisions etc from the prison! One of the scripts depicts a person called, 'Sergeant Burn Blacks.' Sadly, most documentaries are not screened at your usual cinemas. So the millions who would empathise with this film will never see it. : ( There is a great need for an independent cinema that can screen documentaries and other films that are not palatable to those who love Apartheid, our humiliation and racism.
Redfern is where about 10 000 Australian Aboriginal people (many appear to have some infusion of European genes) came to live in Sydney. That number burgeoned. Depression, stress, low self-esteem, alcoholism, drug addiction and an increased incidence of suicide is the lot of many conquered, dispossessed and impoverished people. These problems also precipitate a great deal of internal friction and internecine feuding as well.
However in the 1970s, certain Aboriginal intellectuals responded in a manner similar to our response in South Africa during those terrible, humiliating racist times. They began a theatre movement. That reminded me of the theatre of TECON, Athol Fugard, Saira Essa, Welcome Msomi, Ketan Lakhani, Kessie Govender and Ronnie Govender etc. A number of pertinent points were made during the film. "Our literature says we exist." "Police harassment politicised us." "The police cells were called 'Abattoirs'. " There was a bookshop called THIRD WORLD BOOKS in Sydney. The white owner finally asked the Redfern people to please give him a list of books that they wanted. He would get them for the people! The Redfern people's lives mirrored so much that we experienced in South Africa. One lady spoke about how she tried to keep her children away from the rampant racism to which they were exposed. As the police and Australian society as a whole, had criminalised their very skins, the indigenous people resorted to 'spying on the police'. They would record what the police were doing to their community. Volunteer lawyers helped them as they did in South Africa during Apartheid. But of course we all had to jump up and down in the cauldron of racist laws designed by racist lawyers to keep the conquered shackled. The indigenous also set up Aboriginal medical and legal services. A satirical cartoon about a ship loads of white conquerors and their families flooding into Oz certainly drew a few knowing nods: "We need a more restrictive immigration policy," was the caption. In one of my short stories, 'The Guests', I wrote about there being no 'Mighty Mouse' to help us when the Neo Nazis terrorised us. In the Aussie film a character called SUPER BONG is depicted. When he tries to change into his super-hero uniform in a hotel, he is not allowed in! Bobby Merritt wrote a script while in jail! The theatre people had to collect revisions etc from the prison! One of the scripts depicts a person called, 'Sergeant Burn Blacks.' Sadly, most documentaries are not screened at your usual cinemas. So the millions who would empathise with this film will never see it. : ( There is a great need for an independent cinema that can screen documentaries and other films that are not palatable to those who love Apartheid, our humiliation and racism.
