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Jimmy Chi, author of the musical play Bran Nue Dae, and his friend Stephen Albert discuss their childhood, people’s attitudes to Aboriginal people, and their feelings about the Church. A scene from the play is shown in which one of the characters tells the priest in song ‘there’s nothing I would rather be than to be an Aborigine’. A German missionary comments on his depiction in the play.
Curator’s notes
‘Nothing I’d Rather Be’ is one of the most celebrated songs in Bran Nue Dae. It sums up the writer’s quirky, political sense of humour. The song is essentially a protest song, particularly targeting the Christian missions, but it is sung in a music hall, sing-a-long style so that it has an upbeat, jaunty quality. This is a clever device as it becomes more accessible to the listener and stays in the mind longer. It’s a compelling tune that invites you to sing with it and, in doing so, you become complicit in the message.
