Aboriginal voices in a new film should get museums thinking about their social responsibility. Our Generation had its UK preview last month at the Royal Geographical Society in London and maps the maltreatment meted out to the indigenous peoples of Australia by first the British and then what became the Australian administration.
It charts the horrifying situation of the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. They are one of the few Aboriginal groups who have refused to sign their land over to the government in exchange for improved living conditions. As a consequence of failing to give into such bribery they are disempowered from making decisions about their lives.
The film outlines the historical context but more importantly we directly hear the voices of the people who eloquently explain why the land is core to their way of life.
The film made me think about areas some museums find difficult to address. Should museums with artefacts hailing from indigenous people show their social responsibility to the people today, and should museums accept sponsorship from corporations that have shown a lack of respect for people and the environment?
Interestingly, the gasp from the audience didn’t come from any of the disturbing film footage. Rather it came when Australian commentator Germaine Greer (invited onto the panel following the film) revealed that the British Museum’s Australia season, which starts next month and has a strand focusing on landscapes, is sponsored by the mining company Rio Tinto.
Greer explained the track-record of the Anglo-Australian company in being privy to displacing people to mine for uranium. She suggested taking images of landscapes after Rio Tinto intervention and projecting them on the walls throughout Bloomsbury.
What I would hope is that the museum takes it social responsibility seriously and tells the story of the current threat to the culture, language and health of the oldest living human culture on earth.
It charts the horrifying situation of the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. They are one of the few Aboriginal groups who have refused to sign their land over to the government in exchange for improved living conditions. As a consequence of failing to give into such bribery they are disempowered from making decisions about their lives.
The film outlines the historical context but more importantly we directly hear the voices of the people who eloquently explain why the land is core to their way of life.
The film made me think about areas some museums find difficult to address. Should museums with artefacts hailing from indigenous people show their social responsibility to the people today, and should museums accept sponsorship from corporations that have shown a lack of respect for people and the environment?
Interestingly, the gasp from the audience didn’t come from any of the disturbing film footage. Rather it came when Australian commentator Germaine Greer (invited onto the panel following the film) revealed that the British Museum’s Australia season, which starts next month and has a strand focusing on landscapes, is sponsored by the mining company Rio Tinto.
Greer explained the track-record of the Anglo-Australian company in being privy to displacing people to mine for uranium. She suggested taking images of landscapes after Rio Tinto intervention and projecting them on the walls throughout Bloomsbury.
What I would hope is that the museum takes it social responsibility seriously and tells the story of the current threat to the culture, language and health of the oldest living human culture on earth.
