Message Stick

Sunday, 08 June
1.30pm

On Australia Day, 1972, four young Indigenous activists arrived on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra. They had little idea their small protest would turn into a major defining period of Australia’s modern history.
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy became a national voice for Aboriginal Australians, and played a major role in the creation of the first Australian Land Rights legislation.
With rarely seen images and interviews, Embassy Days presents this raw and emotional time as it was captured.
Directed and Produced by Ivan Sen, with appearances by Charles Perkins, Gough Whitlam, William McMahon, Cath Walker, Gary Foley, Paul Coe and Dennis Walker .
Message Stick: Embassy Days: Pt 1 will be repeated on ABC2 – Monday, June 09 at 4:30pm

Sunday, 01 June
1.30pm

The Australian circus has a long and rich history of featuring Aboriginal performers both nationally and internationally. Freakshow To Big Top looks at the dark and light side of that circus history.

In the 19th century Aborigines were exhibited as ‘sideshow savages’.

In the early 20th century the famous Con Colleano and his family of trapeze artists – who pretended they were Hawaiian to avoid social prejudice – were stars of Barnum and Bailey, and one of the highest paid circus acts in the world.

And now the ‘Bre Circus project’ features contemporary Indigenous circus acts incorporating Hip-hop and traditional dance with circus acrobatics.

Freakshow To Big Top acknowledges the power of the Aboriginal spirit to both survive and entertain when provided with the opportunity to shine. It’s a story of pride and empowerment through the ages.

Message Stick: Freak Show To Big Top will be repeated on ABC2 – Monday, June 02 at 4:30pm

Sunday, 25 May
1.30pm

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s eloquent and emotional apology to the Stolen Generations brought much of the country to a stand-still, and tears to the eyes of many Australians.
Saying Sorry tells the story of that historic day in Canberra and the profound impact the apology had on members of the Stolen Generations, and the broader Australian community.
The program provides an historical understanding of the Stolen Generations’ story and insight into what is regarded by many Indigenous Australians and their supporters as the most significant step towards reconciliation and bridging the cultural divide in Australia.
Through a mosaic of pre and post apology interviews and emotive footage of people’s responses during Rudd’s famous apology, Saying Sorry captures the core of emotion in response to the apology, and the grass roots hope for a reconciled nation.

Sunday April 27 at 1.30pm on ABC1 and Monday April 28 at 4.30pm on ABC2

Meet the Lovett’s, an indigenous family who have had family members serving in the Australian military through WW1, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Timor. Message Stick’s Miriam Corowa presents this truly inspirational story.

For the next six weeks, Message Stick will screen a special series of chat programs.

In the six part Talking Stick series, Message Stick ventures into the studio to explore the dynamics of Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives on subjects such as our national identity, literature, film, performing arts, business and youth.

In this episode, the spotlight is turned on literature as Miriam speaks to Indigenous author and academic Dr Anita Heiss, and literary collaborators Boori Pryor (Indigenous) and Meme McDonald (non-Indigenous).

All three authors speak about writing stories which transcend the separate identities of race, and employ universal themes and emotions which bind all people – black or white – as a way of bridging the cultural divide.

Sunday, 23 March 2008 at 01:30PM on ABC
Repeated on Monday, March 24 at 4:30pm on ABC2