Don’t know what to say. Don’t know whether my opinions matter. I am a foreigner in foreign stolen land, after all.
What just happened in Australia made me think quite a lot (and experience quite a lot as well)

A few days ago I was driving through the Tanami road. My best Kukatja friend and his family wanted to come to Alice Springs. He was worried about me. It’s a long and dangerous drive, so I accepted and they jumped on. The drive was great. We chatted a lot of what had happened the last two months, our adventures in Kurrurrungku, Malam, Halls Creek, and Fitzroy Crossing, and the importance of language. We got to Yuendumu and visited some of their family members. They were sorry. Just getting to Yuendumu changed the whole atmosphere. They were all sad. They knew what had happened. What they hadn’t known by then was that the boy was a close cousin. We left Yuendumu with tears and silence.

A couple of hours later, we got to the turn that would take us to Alice Springs. The police made us pull over for a quick breath check and this is when things went weird. A trip to Alice turned into a “border crossing” trip. They immediately asked my friend, ignoring what I had to say of course,: “where are you from, where are you going? Who are you staying with?”
Did that matter? They are free citizens, mate. They could come from anywhere, go anywhere and stay with whomever they want. My friend couldn’t reply properly. He was scared. I told the policeman he was my assistant and that we were working on a book together. The police officer replies: is he? With a smile on his face. I was shocked. He let us go after a few minutes of redundant questions.
I saw a few tears running through my friend’s face. He said to me: “We are foreigners in our own country. We lost. We failed. “ I was heart broken. What could I say? Would my words make a change? I tried to switch topics and return to language, our adventures, etc. Things were now different. “My friend said: you know why we drink, mate? We just lost our dreams.”
Later that same day we went to the supermarket. I was waiting outside while my friend wanted to buy some soft drinks. He came back after a few minutes. The police officer at the door did not let him in because he said he was drunk. We had not had a sip of alcohol in months. Over the top. Frustration again.
And now what matters is white people safety. Ha!
Mates, have you ever realised you are the descendants of people who stole a land and raped a culture? Can you think beyond your western lenses and realise that these traditional inhabitants still exist and deserve respect? Deserve empowering? Deserve all the things you deserve? They are just like you. They get angry just like you. They mourn just like you when you lose a family member. They want to drink just like your crazy friend on a Saturday night. They want to laugh just like you. They want to have a life just like you. And they want to have a place in their country just like any human being in the world.
It’s a shame. Don’t know whether my words matter. I’m also a foreigner after all. (But i deserve a smile and no questions, right?)

Good night, Australia. Nyamu