The exhibitions at the Arles photography festival this year are regrouped under the title “Disobedient Images”. They offer a subversive vision of subjects from families to feminism, minorities to mainstream. Here are some of the highlights of the exhibitions depicting subjects from the English-speaking world. Caroline Monnet Echoes from a Near Future Canadian photographer and … Continue reading “Disobedient Images: Arles 2025”
When Aboriginal Australians say they are, or are going, “on country”, they don’t just mean they are physically on the lands their ancestors have inhabited for 60,000 years. It also implies that they are shaped by the place, connected to it, and recognize a responsibility to care for it. It is this meaningful phrase that … Continue reading “On Country”
On 14 October, Australians voted 60-40% against a referendum proposal on a change to the Constitution that would have given Indigenous Australians a greater voice in the legislature. If approved, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice would have been a consultative body to advise lawmakers on issues affecting Indigenous Australians. Labor Prime Minister Anthony … Continue reading “Australia Says No in Indigenous Representation Referendum “
Australia will hold a referendum later this year on a change to the Constitution that would give Indigenous Australians a greater voice in the legislature. If approved, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice would be a consultative body which would advise lawmakers on issues affecting Indigenous Australians. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who … Continue reading “Australia to Hold Referendum on Indigenous Representation”
Canada has a new national celebration: Ribbon Skirt Day will be held every year on 4 January. The idea came from a young First Nations girl, Isabelle Kulak, now 12, who wanted Canadians to recognise and celebrate indigenous culture in the form of the ribbon skirts and shirts many tribes create. The country already has … Continue reading “A First Nations Schoolgirl Inspires a New Canadian Celebration”
Festival America is usually a bi-annual celebration of the literature of the Americas in Vincennes (94). After two years of COVID cancellations, the festival is finally having its 10th edition celebrating 20 years from 22 to 25 September. The festival attracts large numbers of authors: 61 this year, mainly from the U.S. but also from … Continue reading “Festival America is Back!”
This inspiring documentary features teen activists around the world who see a problem and try to fix it. From Malawi to Colorado they are fighting pollution, opposing child marriage, supporting education, freedom of speech and sustainable agriculture and demanding rights for the planet and indigenous people. Melati Wijsen and her sister founded Bye Bye Plastic … Continue reading “Bigger Than Us”
The Residential School system which removed indigenous children from their families and forced them to assimilate, was described by a Canadian government as “cultural genocide”. Indigenous groups searching for information have carried out searches of schools looking for the traces of children who died there. Since May, more than 1,000 sets of remains have been … Continue reading “Terrible Legacy of Canadian Residential Schools”
Australia started the new year with a change in its national anthem designed to be more inclusive of all Australians. On 31 December, Conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the change of a single word that is heavy with significance. The words of “Advance Australia Fair” included the line “For we are young and free”. … Continue reading “Change in Australia’s National Anthem to Reflect Indigenous Heritage”
Joe Sacco has been creating works of comic non-fiction for more than two decades, illustrating conflict, war and human atrocity through the medium of graphic art. For his latest book — “Paying the Land”—Joe Sacco travels to the Arctic regions of Canada and tells us the history of the Dene Nation, an indigenous people living … Continue reading “Comic Notes: Joe Sacco “Paying the Land””
