Like many Indigenous people, singer-songwriter Dan Sultan finds Australia Day "painful" and believes a national day would be more inclusive if held on a different date.
"When everyone takes a public holiday to have a party on a day that represents so much pain for me personally and my family and to a greater extent my people … it's intense."Sultan sang at The Vigil at Barangaroo Reserve after dusk on Saturday evening. He will back that up with a performance at the long-running Yabun Festival in Victoria Park, next to the University of Sydney, on Sunday.
The number of Indigenous events and protests on Australia Day is growing around Australia. While Melbourne is having an Invasion Day Dawn Service at 5.30am and Ballarat a similar event at the same time, Sydney has The Vigil from dusk until dawn.The Vigil is a Sydney Festival event, now in its second year. Sydney Festival First Nations producer Jade Christian said last year's event "brought together the community of Sydney in a really respectful and reflective way".
As well as Sultan's performance, The Vigil includes a smoking ceremony, dance, music, choral and poetry performances and a "yarning circle" to provide cultural learning through the night. This year for the first time it started with a Procession from Sydney Town Hall to Barangaroo starting from 6pm.
'painful' not that's a word....OK all he needs to do is convince a few million people get elected and as PM change things or he could go to the ABC and
I'm interested in what other dates would be proposed.
Love his blue eyes.
SMH still trying to divide a nation.
If he plugs his guitar into a wall he can instead try banging 2 sticks together.
Also Very painful to get blamed for what a Government did back in the ages and that they don't recognize poor people was taken away from their families back in the UK and used as slaves on a horrific journey by sea and hanged if not obey them.
He looks European FFS he carries more colonial DNA than I do as a recent arrival. He has benefited from the Australian state.... this debate is utterly utterly toxic. Australia will fall if the left continue to push this narrative.....I suppose this is what they want.