BIG WEST

ABORIGINAL CONCERT

It was good to hear about the new Koorie Arts Workers at the Footscray Community Arts Centre this year, Kylie Belling and Tammy Andersen, helping to continue the work of raised awareness and reconciliation in Melbourne's western region. Kylie's brother John worked with the Koorie Gardening Team and Kylie had been to events at the Living Museum.

So when Big West came looking for Aboriginal input we all got together and organised a concert at Pipemakers Park, which is now a familiar venue to the Aboriginal community in Melbourne. The concert featured the Kutcha Edwards Band and the audience were welcomed by Caroline Briggs of the Bunurong.

WRITER'S FESTIVAL

The Museum has participated in quite a number of local

festivals in Melbourne's western region and in 1999 this activity continued with several councils and schools. One that stands out was 'Big West', produced by the City of Maribyrnong. Several events in the festival were held at Pipemakers Park. The Leftwrites Festival that was part of Big West attracted a medium-sized gathering but an intense one. Thea Calzoni, who organised the festival, is a regular visitor to the History of the Land Gardens with her children.

The event, labelled 'Other Voices.Other Cultures' had a distinct multicultural emphasis with writers from very different cultural backgrounds, Jewish - Arnold Zable, Iranian - Mammad Aidani and Chinese - Mark Shiju Ma. The talks and the writings addressed the varied experiences of being not of the mainstream.

A poem by Mark Shiju Ma expresses feelings many can relate to:

Message in a Bottle

Have you seen the glasses

Between you and me

Have you touched it

Between you and me

So hard

So transparent

But you can't see

You can't touch

I was born outside

I live inside

In a bottle

Drafting in the dry land

In the sea of another language

I am the next stranger

Have you seen the glasses

My life without roots

My bottle without anchorage

Please touch it

But you feel touchless

Drafting on the dry land

In the sea of another language

I am the message in the bottle

Have you ever read it?

PLEASE BREAK IT