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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/17/qa-with-amelia-kunoth-monks-on-the-devastation-brought-on-first-nations-by-government-policies
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| Q&A with Amelia Kunoth-Monks: on the devastation brought upon First Nations by government policies | Q&A with Amelia Kunoth-Monks: on the devastation brought upon First Nations by government policies |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Each week, a new guest hosts the @IndigenousX Twitter account to discuss topics of interest as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. In partnership with IndigenousX, we're inviting its weekly host to tell us about who they are, what issues they're passionate about, and what they have in store for us during their upcoming week. | Each week, a new guest hosts the @IndigenousX Twitter account to discuss topics of interest as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. In partnership with IndigenousX, we're inviting its weekly host to tell us about who they are, what issues they're passionate about, and what they have in store for us during their upcoming week. |
| Tell us about yourself. Who are you, where are you from, what do you do? | Tell us about yourself. Who are you, where are you from, what do you do? |
| My name is Amelia. I come from a place called Utopia. It's about 250kms north-east of Alice Springs. It's a remote community where our culture has never died, and I am so privileged to call it home. | My name is Amelia. I come from a place called Utopia. It's about 250kms north-east of Alice Springs. It's a remote community where our culture has never died, and I am so privileged to call it home. |
| I am 20 years old and last year I completed a tertiary education preparation course – I've just been accepted to Bachelor College to do a degree in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advocacy. I've also spent a lot of time talking up passionately about how wrong the Northern Territory Intervention, Stronger Futures and the Basics Card are to people in forums right across the nation. I've done this with my grandmother Rosalie Kunoth-Monks. | I am 20 years old and last year I completed a tertiary education preparation course – I've just been accepted to Bachelor College to do a degree in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advocacy. I've also spent a lot of time talking up passionately about how wrong the Northern Territory Intervention, Stronger Futures and the Basics Card are to people in forums right across the nation. I've done this with my grandmother Rosalie Kunoth-Monks. |
| What do you plan to talk about on @IndigenousX this week? | What do you plan to talk about on @IndigenousX this week? |
| I plan to talk a lot about the new John Pilger film, Utopia. I'm down in Sydney for the launch of the film. It's about the devastation of what government is inflicting on First Nations. It shows what has happened to our people since we were invaded 225 year ago. It shows the contrast of two cultures barely working together, or understanding each other. It shows the heartache of what the elders are going through, how the younger generation kills itself and is being killed within a circle that can't seemingly be broken. | I plan to talk a lot about the new John Pilger film, Utopia. I'm down in Sydney for the launch of the film. It's about the devastation of what government is inflicting on First Nations. It shows what has happened to our people since we were invaded 225 year ago. It shows the contrast of two cultures barely working together, or understanding each other. It shows the heartache of what the elders are going through, how the younger generation kills itself and is being killed within a circle that can't seemingly be broken. |
| The film had a massive effect on me. Learning about how on Rottnest Island near Perth – a building which was transformed from a concentration camp for Aboriginal people into a hotel for tourists with a "karma health spa" really shook me. It shows how an elder in Western Australia cooked alive in a prison van, just five years ago. It shows the devastation of my people in communities which were hit by the Basics Card system (akin to food stamps) and the Intervention since 2007. It was so hard for us comprehend what was happening, particularly when many don't speak English. Our trust has been broken so many times. We are finding it so hard to trust the words of the government – they become like the words of the devil. | The film had a massive effect on me. Learning about how on Rottnest Island near Perth – a building which was transformed from a concentration camp for Aboriginal people into a hotel for tourists with a "karma health spa" really shook me. It shows how an elder in Western Australia cooked alive in a prison van, just five years ago. It shows the devastation of my people in communities which were hit by the Basics Card system (akin to food stamps) and the Intervention since 2007. It was so hard for us comprehend what was happening, particularly when many don't speak English. Our trust has been broken so many times. We are finding it so hard to trust the words of the government – they become like the words of the devil. |
| You've got to be that blind not to see apartheid in the Northern Territory. It's going back to full blown segregation. I wonder sometimes – are they trying to get rid of Aboriginal people? One of the main issue that we are dealing with is youth suicide. Young ones are saying "this is hell, there's nothing I can do here, we just want to leave". | |
| Who are your role models, and why? | Who are your role models, and why? |
| The female role model in my life is my grandmother. She has shown me what is right and what is wrong in my life. Especially now with so many policies from the government coming down on us, she is someone who shows the way through. She has been a rock in my life. My other role model is my grandfather. He was my sunshine and made everything seem right. He knew about what the government was doing too and spoke passionately about the need for Aboriginal people to stand up for themselves. | The female role model in my life is my grandmother. She has shown me what is right and what is wrong in my life. Especially now with so many policies from the government coming down on us, she is someone who shows the way through. She has been a rock in my life. My other role model is my grandfather. He was my sunshine and made everything seem right. He knew about what the government was doing too and spoke passionately about the need for Aboriginal people to stand up for themselves. |
| What are your hopes for the future? | What are your hopes for the future? |
| My hope for the future is that we have a treaty in place, where the government starts to operate within an Aboriginal constitution and Aboriginal law – not the other way around, where Aboriginal people are forced to assimilate into a process of westernisation. My other hope is to have our law and culture taught throughout primary school, high school, and in universities. We want to use all the advantages of modern technology – but from the safety of our own culture. That would be the most perfect world. | My hope for the future is that we have a treaty in place, where the government starts to operate within an Aboriginal constitution and Aboriginal law – not the other way around, where Aboriginal people are forced to assimilate into a process of westernisation. My other hope is to have our law and culture taught throughout primary school, high school, and in universities. We want to use all the advantages of modern technology – but from the safety of our own culture. That would be the most perfect world. |
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