Working for Peace through the Arts…Grass roots, non-profit…
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“The inspiration of my life, my dreams, has always been made up of peace, socialism, of solidarity, of liberation, of loving and caring.”
Graham F Smith 1924 -1989 |
May 26th, 2006
2008 Peace Trust Dinner
Thank you to all who attended our 2008 Peace Trust Dinner, it was an enjoyable evening for all. Keep an eye out for photos on both the website and the Spring edition of our new e-newsetter.
Add comment July 24th, 2008
2008 Projects Announced!
The Peace Trust is very pleased to announce its support for three projects in 2008.
ActNow Theatre for Social Change, an emerging young people’s political theatre company, based in Adelaide. ActNow aims to ‘empower young people to use theatre as a tool for social change…’ Peace Trust funding will support the development of two street theatre performances.
The Academy of DYI - a weekend festival of accessible arts, activism, education and collaboration. It is designed to facilitate skill-sharing and the development of strong networks amongst artists and activists. The festival will be part of the Adelaide Fringe in March 2009 and include panels, workshops, film screenings and exhibitions.
Mallacoota Strum Inc are being supported to commission Padma Newsome to compose a ‘peace’ piece for Making Music Together for Peace as part of the East Gippsland Community Peace Project. This weekend community music festival will be held in Mallacoota, 26-28th September 2008 and will include choral, improvisation, instrumental and songwriting workshops. Padma Newsome, an ex- Adelaide resident, is a current Commissioning and Residency award recipient from the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University.
The Trust received applications from all over Australia this year. We were impressed by the breadth of ideas for arts projects and the diverse ways individuals and communities are Working for Peace through the Arts. We regret that we are unable to support more projects.
Funding for 2008 has now been allocated. We will be calling for applications for 2009 early in the New Year, so stay tuned!
Add comment March 6th, 2008
Second to None - Review by Julia Spence
The following is a review of the Second to None project run by Kurruru and Vitalstatistix and was supported by the Graham F Smith Peace Trust. I feel very lucky to have been able to attend the event, which took place on Kaurna land and felt the importance of what the Peace Trust is doing.In this case the Graham F Smith Peace Trust helped Kurruru and Vitalstatistix to record Kaurna culture, which is particularly important as due to assimilation policy within Australia Kaurna culture is unfortunately uncommon and Second to None is now a exceptional piece of recorded history and culture. Second to None is a powerful and poetic piece of theatre, based on historical events that occurred in the Kaurna Lands of Adelaide. The play based at four sites with viewers taking a bus between the sites. It starts at the Workers Club in Port Adelaide where viewers were invited to seek investment within the Port Adelaide area by three real estate agents.
Once upon the bus, the viewers or potential investors where taken to the Harts Mill, where the New Port Quays Development is currently occurring. It is at this stage that the buses are hijacked by three indigenous women, played by Lisa Flanagan, Nazaree Dickerson, Jada Alberts, and where the journey changes.
The viewers are then taught about Kaurna Lands and the changes of the landscape, whilst being driven around the Kaurna area. The viewers are then taken to the Glanville Hall or Hart’s Castle where we learn that the castle was built in 1856 by Captain John Hart, with the help of indigenous workers, and eventually became a mission for young indigenous boys.
It is at this stage of the play that Second to None expresses through, prose, performance, dance, soundscape, image and installation the stripping of indigenous culture from young indigenous people. The play captures the heartache and frustration of assimilation policy and the stolen generation.
It shows a stark and shocking contrast of white culture in comparison to black culture, and reflects on practices used to assimilate indigenous children such as ‘drill sessions’ where children are taught to sit up straight and have manners.
The viewers where then invited back onto the bus where we were taken to the next site of the play, Kauwangga, place of water. It is at this stage that Kaurna spirit is invited to join the players and viewers. The play then depicts what indigenous life would have been like before white settlement.
This part of the play was not only visually stunning but also a rare insight into indigenous culture specifically Kaurna culture including language. Rare because of assimilation policy where Kaurna people where not allowed to use they’re own language.
The play depicts the importance of culture and gives an insight into what it would have been like to have been stripped of your parents, lovers, language sovereignty and your right to live in the way in which you want to – your liberty.
The final part of the play was set back at the Workers Club with song and dance, depicting how Port Adelaide was a rare place in modern Australia where indigenous people could work (on the wharfs), dance and socialise together as equals.
‘Second to None’ is factual, truthful and healing. Although events and horrifying policies such as assimilation policy have occurred within Australia, once again indigenous Australians showed a strength and compassion which is Second to None.
The players did this by explaing that the sacred connection that the Kaurna and other tribes have to the land is always changing and by inviting viewers, both black and white to share this connection.
1 comment December 2nd, 2007