AustLit
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'At the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in April, athletes from countries that were once a part of the British Empire will battle for gold—but is the Commonwealth of Nations more than a legacy of another age?
'At a time of geopolitical uncertainty, the Commonwealth is poised to play a major role as a values-based network that represents a third of the world’s population. Whether this group can exercise real power and influence will be determined in 2018. The old empires are long gone but, in the wake of Brexit and the rise of China and India, the shape of a new world order remains unclear.
'Commonwealth Now features writers from around the world who explore the contemporary experience of Commonwealth citizens: reconciling the past, confronting new challenges, and opening new exchanges to create a sustainable and equitable future.' (Publication summary)
Notes
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Contents indexed selectively.
Contents
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Time to Mention the War : Towards a New Settlement,
single work
criticism
(p. 13-25)
'A royal 'visit' sounds innocuous. But Roach's song is about how, like innumerable Aboriginal clans before and since, his family were reminded the hard way that their traditional law, custom and land tenure meant nothing should the Queen 'visit'. 'Moving it on again' is Koori shorthand for becoming a refugee in your own country. The song goes on to tell of the Roach family's displacement onto the Framlingham mission, and of Uncle Archie's subsequent forced removal from his family and Aboriginal society. This child removal, an act that Roach sings 'hurts me to this very day', saw the singer slide into homelessness and alcoholism. Queen Elizabeth's 1954 visit, in short, precipitated events that badly damaged Roach's family and very nearly destroyed his life.' (Publication abstract)
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Chauka, Where Are You? : Notes on an Ethnographic Poem,
single work
autobiography
(p. 181-190)
'Manus Island is home. Until I reached the age of twelve in 1984, Lorengau town - the urban administrative, political and commercial centre of Manus Province, Papua New Guinea - was my parents' anchor. From there they navigated our lives between Manus, Port Moresby and beyond. They managed their careers, their growing family, their social obligations and their children's education, while striving to get by as a bi-racial couple among PNG's emerging educated elite who had helped lead the nation to independence. In the late 1970s, recognising the need to have a home base in Manus, they bought a small house at the east end of Lorengau town. This is a few minutes' walk from the current site of the Australian-funded East Lorengau Refugee Transit Centre for asylum seekers and refugees.' (Publication abstract)
