Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

One People Sing Freedom (1988)

play May contain names, images or voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
clip A common experience

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

Michael Mansell from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre talks about the treatment of Aborigines by whites during the history of Australian colonisation. Footage shows preparation for the protest march against the Australian Bicentenary as it prepares to leave Redfern oval.

Curator’s notes

by Romaine Moreton

The protest march against the Australian Bicentenary is an important historical moment for Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike. For the people that participated in the march, it was a monumental occasion that arose from a common experience of being Indigenous in Australia – all states without exception represented in the march – and responding to colonial oppression. The well-written and delivered narration, and the intimate footage of the crowd gathering for the march, has a strong emotional effect. The close-ups of the men in full traditional make-up are particularly striking.