The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) has launched its first-ever podcast to explore the critical stages in the fight for First Nations’ rights and self-determination.
In a statement, AIATSIS said its Voices of Power podcast also examined the fight for meaningful representation in places of power.
It said the six-episode series was narrated by singer/songwriter, Vic Simms (Bidjigal) and each episode was introduced by Chief Executive Officer of AIATSIS, Craig Ritchie (Dunghutti/Biripi).
“Indigenous Churchill Fellows from around Australia share their views on the key influences that have shaped Australia’s history and propose what a strong future for First Nations Australians should look like,” AIATSIS said.
“Craig is himself a Churchill Fellow and, in conversations with the Trust, it was recognised that there is a cohort of strong Indigenous Churchill Fellows,” it said.
“That formed the genesis of the project and from there AIATSIS drew on such collective and individual knowledge and experiences to put together this podcast series.”
AIATSIS said that, in the first three episodes, available now, Michelle Deshong, Cara Kirkwood, Parry Agius, Hannah McGlade and Donisha Duff addressed the topics of standing up for rights; creating new futures with First Nations and leadership models; and the role of treaties and truthtelling.
In the podcast, member of the AIATSIS Council, Ms Deshong (Kuku Yalanji) said “even the mere fact of settlement itself and the perspectives around whether people saw evidence of a ‘civil society’ in itself speaks volumes about the disregard for the intrinsic nature of our culture”.
“Within our tribal nations there’s a really complex level of knowledge and experiences and systems and processes that create the opportunity for nations to survive,” she said.
AIATSIS’s Voices of Power podcast can be accessed at this PS News link.
