The massive Influx of refugees, and migrants, people born in Australia, it is important to teach them about the true owners of this land and waters. The book ‘May Be Tomorrow’ written by Boori Monty Pryor and Meme Donald. This is a journey of Boori, a fighter, DJ player and a performer. The book unfolds abuse, discrimination, and extreme historical persecution faced by the Aboriginal people. I was reading during the book I felt emotional, and angry on the following subjects I read in this book.
I was taught in my school how British Empire colonialise our country, today known as Pakistan, and we fight, we sacrifice for our rights, and land. Before reading this book, I had little to zero knowledge about true owners of the land. I was emotional when the writer told about his brothers Nick, Paul, sister Kimmy, and nephew Liam sudden deaths. I was thinking suicide committed by the brothers and sister could be prevented, and Liam car accident too. The writer delineates young Aboriginals felt the pressure the absorb into the society at the expense of loosely their culture, lands, values, and beliefs. The police, and authority abusive regarding the Aboriginal people and their rights. The difference I find British invasion in Australia compared to the previous English colony. The Indians fought for their rights with education and weapons if they while Aboriginal did not get support from the international community. However, the British denied Australia has any discrimination and abuse problem.
The book also breaks the stereotypes around the Aboriginal people regarding their foods, culture, identity religion and alcohol issues. At one instance, children responded to the question about what do you know about Aboriginal people and answer given by those kids are horrific and misleading. Those young generations fed, so much negativity about the indigenous people so next breed as abusive towards Aboriginal people. It is sad, and unacceptable educating young people about the Aboriginal culture; the white people were teaching hatred and garbage. The book mentioned that how ‘stolen generation’ are taken from their parents taught about Christianity, religion rather than the church should protect young Aboriginal rights, the church was involved in the crime. I church should apologies just like form prime minister of Australia Kevin Rudd did in 2008. There was some cool movement when Boori put his red undies and ochre, and perform in front of adolescents. When Boori mentioned that if want to learn about Aboriginal history in your own area, I continuously log onto Google to get information about Aboriginals tradition and language, and on YouTube to see an indigenous performance in the schools so I can keep up what Boori talking about the performance. During the Boori performance at the school, he often asked full blood and identity. The children asked the question, are you a real Aboriginal? This is unbelievable, the British not only violated Aboriginal land rights, and employment opportunities but also self-determination rights. Rather than Although in modern times, there has been a huge change in the government's attitudes towards Aboriginal people, high rates of unemployment, poverty, crime and health problems for the population persist. Aboriginal women choose her own life partner the authority makes the decision who should she marry to. This is an English people’s conspiracy to mixed race, or confusion among Aboriginal communities. I believe this not the crime against Aboriginal people, this is a crime against humanity.
The book explained that some Australia’s believe that Aboriginal are given special rights or special treatment. However, Aboriginal people are not given voting until 1967 referendum compared to overseas born Australia has those rights. Although in modern times, there has been a huge change in the government's attitudes towards Aboriginal people, high rates of unemployment, poverty, crime and health problems for the population persist. In the one article I read, English government defined ‘stolen generation’ as the ‘child protection’ or the ‘re-socialisation’. However, this book elaborates the ‘stolen generation’ treated as slave and domestic labor. There are a lot of subjects, there are told to international something else and the reality is different and far from the truth.
Today, Aboriginal community needs more role models like Cathy Freeman, who raised the Aboriginal flag out at the 1995 Commonwealth games after winning a gold medal in that 400 metres. I believe Aboriginal need raise their concerns on the international level share their stories, abused, and discrimination they faced during the invasion till now. This is a shame, now there is ongoing ethnic cleansing happening with the people of Assyrian, and Kurdish in the Middle east and the world turned their blind-eye to this massacre. I don’t think ‘Australia Sorry Day’ is enough as the reparation for the crime. I think, we need more Aboriginal people in parliament, the media, and offshore Australia ambassadors. Aboriginal should be given ancestor’s land and waters and equip them all the tools they needed to live with dignity, and respect.
I believe this book provide the detailed knowledge about Aboriginal people in the emotional way the readers attach to the subject, have a temptation to learn more. The book breaks the stereotypes, and misleading regarding Aboriginal people, and showed a beautiful image for the community. I will highly recommend to this book to the new young arrived migrants because of what the media showed an image of the community in the past; this source can’t be trusted so if they what learned about Aboriginal people and culture the best way to learned from the true owners of the land.
Thanks aman619. Nice review.
The legacy of colonialism is something too many people from different parts of the world have to live with on a day-to-day basis.
I am Australian. Many of us are trying to make it right for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, but we are (obviously) not doing enough!
Thanks for reading my article.
I am an overseas born Australian. I am learning about Aboriginal since I worked with Aboriginal adolescence. I will be soon writing on NT intervention is bad for Indigenous community soon.
Thanks for suuuuch a good review of a book..
thanks
I enjoyed your post, thank you for sharing this book review with us!
I have a Master´s Degree in English Literature (focus on Postcolonial Literature) and read many interesting books about the aboriginal community in Australia and stolen generation during my studies (I did like Rabbit-Proof Fence for example). I would love to read Maybe Tomorrow as well.
I´m planning to post book reviews in my blog starting from next week. Let´s follow each other and exchange info concerning literature ;)