Happy Austravasion Day!

Indigenous Australians occupied the Australian territories 60,000 years before European settlement.

When the Europeans arrived in Australia in 1788, they had declared the land terra nullius (land empty) because there were no inhabitants, Housing, legal system or evidence of European civilization. 

Indigenous Australian culture was such that tribes relied on the land for sustenance but had no direct ownership of the land for land was life. 

With the arrival of the first fleet saw the spread of small pox which devavsted the indigenous people and significantly reduced their population. Further, because indigenous Australians were perceived by the Europeans to be akin to animals they were killed in conflict without questions.

Between 1910-1970, many Indigenous children were removed from their families as a result of an Australian Government policy now known as the stolen generation. The aim of this policy was to assimilate based on the assumption of black inferiority and white superiority. 

The hope was to eliminate indigenous peoples by assimilating their children (often mixed) into the white community.Children taken from their parents as part of the Stolen Generation were taught to reject their Indigenous heritage, and forced to adopt white culture. Their names were often changed, and they were forbidden to speak their traditional languages. Some children were adopted by white families, and many were placed in institutions where abuse and neglect were common. 

Today, indigenous peoples are still fighting for their right to education, clean water, healthcare and housing. The gap between mainstream Australia and indigenous Australia is mind blowing and confronting.

In recent years, previous governments have sought to bridge the gap by apologising as a way to express empathy for past trauma and to open a dialogue for reconciliation.

So when you're celebrating today, spare a thought for people who may feel displaced disillusioned or unheard when a day that signalled death, dispossession and loss is being Celebrated. 

In saying that I must say that this is the first year where I have seen a shift in the message of Australia day and an invitation for all to partake in it inspite of a person's reservations because all opinions are welcome. I am, you are, we are Australia.

The indigenous struggle reminds me so much of my own. The Nigerian civil war of 1967 to 1970 which saw thousands of starving Biafran children and millions of dead Biafrans. 

After the war, the returned Biafrans were dispossessed of their land and monies. They had to start over in spite of the emotional, physical and psychological trauma they were dealt with for the crime of seeking to create their own state, a state they were forced into by British settlement. 

Nigerians have buried their heads in the sand since this war and have refused to acknowledge it through policies that may aim at reconsilatory policies, apologies, discourse or through any form of acknowledgement through the education system. What it leaves in its wake is a Nigeria that lacks trust and empathy. A Nigeria that will be forever caught in the cycle of past hurt and trauma.

The indigenous peoples story resonate with me as a human firstly and a Nigerian immigrant secondly. 

But not everyone will understand this story. There are people who will say move on, its been so long, it didn't happen to you. Believe me I've heard people say this.

But let's continue to challenge their ignorance and educate with every opportunity we get.

Tell them that trauma is carried on genetically. That culture, kinship and language is important and when stolen can cause even more trauma. 

Tell them that empathy, an acknowledgement of past wrong and a determination to do better is all we need for the future here in Australia and in Nigeria.