ATOMIC
MADNESS? LAST JAUNT After a decidedly hectic Sydney schedule, including
our awesome last show @ the hugely packed Newtown festival, the
atomic journey headed for the nation?s Capital, to let those well
meaning beauraucrats (and bogans) know that little Johny aint got
no mandate to continue our genocidal and destructive nuclear past.
Our
Canberra co-ordinator the lovely Theo, had been in the show in Brissy
so it felt like a coming home, especially with a few of us having
been to Canberra earlier in the year for the inspiring and eye opening
Global Greens Conference.
We
had 2 shows booked, a benefit gig and no place for us all to stay
together, until we arrived @ our new home,the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.
For me this was the undeniable highlight of our Canberra stay. Welcomed
by that mob around the sacred peace fire that has been burning for
30 years on the 26th of January 2002.
Anti-nuke
international award winning larrikin legend Arabunna elder Uncle
Kev, Nangala, Darren, Dianne, and Duncan (amongst not many others)
wholeheartedly welcomed us to this sacred piece of longstanding
intentional community calling peace and celebrating cultural diversity
and action against a corrupt system and government.
Anyhow
back to the show. We had 4 rehearsals to get new characters up to
speed, including local businessman Theo, with Olly and singer extraordinaire
Saritah?s acting debuts.
Both
shows were in Garema Place, the throbbing concrete centre of Canberra,
at lunchtime onWednesday and on Friday evening . . . the Wednesday
show had a strong lunchtime mob soaking up the vibe, unduly antagonistic
local cops (we were totally booked into the space), the show went
down smootly, despite hiccups which a fresh audience never even
notice, and some pearler one liners from Johnny Scaffold aka Tim
Candy as the politician.
The
Friday show was definitely our Canberrian spectacular, booked from
6 ?til 10, welcomed by Uncle Kev and a post show community interactive
jam that went through many moods, performers, dancers and right
up until midnight. The police, embarrassed by their Wednesday performance,
left us alone the whole night. A strong mob had made their way to
the city centre for the show, and we always pull in passers by.
It was great fun last show, and something central Canberra doesn?t
get very often.
We
thought we scored another show @ a local highschool but we were
woken on performance morning by a sad teacher who had been usurped
by the Deputy of the school, who ordered the show cancelled undoubtedly
because of its challenging political content (ie the truth). .
Anyway
back to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. Amazing to find that as a part
of Federation Celebrations John Howard is building 2 monuments just
down the lawn from the ATE . . . one to Reconcilliation, and one
to the Commonwealth. Could it be anymore vindictive? Yes. There
are plans to remove the Aboriginal Tent Embassy before construction
of these monuments is finished, to clear the way for the Queens
visit to open the monuments, closing federation celebrations.
While
we were @ the Embassy, the Peoplescape, project was on the lawns
of Parliament House, 5000 people nominated by our community many
of them with amazing stories, as well as your Pauline Hansons, John
Howards, Fred Niles and blah blah of our racist history.
We
did an action on the opening day with mob from the tent embassy,
having a word on the open mike calling for a minute?s silence, a
slow drummed procession through the poeplescape with drums and radsuits
up to parliament house where Nangala performed traditional dance
in full paint and costume to the distress (and awe) of security,
and protection authoriites. Nangala was refused entry to the Parliament
house and it was shut down for close to an hour while performance,
speakers and shenanigans went on to amused tourists, peoplescape
?heroes?, and locals, and unamused security and cops.
Anyhow,
we were all very much affected by staying at the Aboriginal Tent
Embassy, bringing home much of what this whole tour has been all
about. A celebration to preserve our culture and land, people are
a part of our country, and until we respect or first peoples and
the rights they deserve on this land we will not stop destroying
its magic for future generations.
Uncle
Kev talks of Lake Eyre being sick, and magnificent mound springs
drying up, and we read that Western Mining take 60 million litres
of water a day from the Great Artesian Basin (for free). All the
while we hear that the Government has approved another deadly in-situ
mine @ Honeymoon South Australia.
Anyhow
our mob have thrown there organisational prowess into helping organising
a 10 Day Corroboree for Soverignty, Celebrating Living Lore from
the 18-28th of January . . .stay tuned or email
Teary
eyes and long goodbyes saw the atomic mob return from Canberra to
Sydney for the Critical Mass annual bike ride over the Sydney Harbour
Bridge on the 30th of November, and Reclaim the Streets party on
the 1st of December.
At
the end of critical mass, the crew decided that we should do 1 more
show at Reclaim the Streets . . . it was our most relaxed performance
(politician with stubble, businessman with lip ring),and included
multiple bombs going off during the play to represent the continued
tests in the pacific (and to use up leftover pyrotechnics), and
a big phat jam before and after the show. The Reclaim the Streets
mob loved it, and it wasn?t totally preaching to the converted,
there are many subsections of the Sydney activist mob, and Reclaim
the Streets brings many of them together. A perfect place for out
last show.
2
days later, on the 100th day since our first show @ Pica in Perth
on the 25th of August we had a meeting of closure, discussing the
break of remaining funds, the repair of our journey weary vans,
plans for the future and a big session of talking from the heart.
For
this mob, the journey isn?t over, this national tour has been birthed
in a thriving community of intergenerational activists working over
centuries and centuries, more particularly for us that special breed
of magic from the WA mob. Our last meeting was interrupted by perfectly
timed calls from Mar Bucknell, and Scott Ludlam, 2 of the crucial
carriers of the Atomic Oz flame.
Especially
big shout outs going to Brenda Conochie for throwing this crazy
idea towards us to be caught and played with across this ancient
land, coordinators in each state, all the mob who gave us money
(esp the Pilgramage Tour, FOE, ANAWA, People for Nuclear Disarmament,
plus the over 100 actorvists that have performed in Atomic Oz in
all its manifestations, and loads of others.
WELOVE
YOU ALL AND THANK YA HEAPS FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND THE AMAZING STUFF
YA DO!!!!!! !
