| Description |
1 online resource (streaming video file) (26 min. 29 sec.) ; 159637099 bytes |
| Summary |
*Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the following program may contain images and voices of people who have died*This week the Bush Slam bus with H.G. Nelson and his two fellow poets are off to Yarrabah, just south of Cairns in Queensland. Yarrabah is a tropical gem, bordered by rainforest on one side and the blue waters of the Great Barrier Reef on the other.The two rhymers in the rainforest are mates. Kate Fagan is a folk musician, songwriter and poet from Sydney and Samuel Wagan Watson is an Indigenous poet from Brisbane. Both come to Yarrabah knowing of its past as an Anglican Mission where Aborigines from across Queensland were forcibly sent.Sam's quest for a poem is entwined with his emotional connection to the stories of Aboriginal removal and the knowledge that some of his family may have been sent to Yarrabah. As he wanders past the unmarked graves in the cemetery, he's aware that he could be walking amongst his family members.Kate is also aware of the balance of sadness and joy at work in the community and how elusive it is to capture. Just off shore in the half moon bay is the wreck of a ship that represents to her the continuing presence, albeit decaying, of colonial Australia's impact on Indigenous culture. It is her meeting with community elder and storyteller, Uncle Bob, that provides the key image for her poem, the sea eagle that is totem to the community and an ever-present protector.Sam's moving experience throws him completely. In the final hours leading up to the Bush Slam, Sam fails to produce a finished poem. But he takes to the stage anyway to give it his best shot.PRODUCTION DETAILS:Bush Slam is produced by Freehand Productions in association with ABC TV. Series Producer: Matt Scully; Director: Chris Thorburn. ABC TV Head of Arts & Entertainment: Amanda Duthie; Executive Producer: Debbie Lee |
| Event |
Broadcast 2010-01-19 at 20:00:00 |
| Notes |
Classification: G |
| Subject |
Aboriginal Australian poetry.
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Aboriginal Australians -- Social life and customs.
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Australian poetry -- Themes, motives.
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Performance poetry.
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Poets -- Psychology.
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Queensland -- Cairns.
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Streaming video
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| Author |
Fagan, Kate, contributor
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Nelson, H.G., host
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Thorburn, Chris, director
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Watson, Samuel Wagan, contributor
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