Life on a different Block

SBS celebrate NAIDOC Week with an interesting series of programs celebrating indigenous culture and how that has been affected by white/modern Australia. From the press release:

“The Block is a place that belongs to the Aboriginal people here in Sydney.
It’s the centre of Aboriginality in Sydney, and I think it’s the centre of Aboriginality in Australia.”
– Cecil Bowden, 73, former resident

SBS celebrates NAIDOC week (1-8 July) with the launch of a ground-breaking interactive online documentary The Block: Stories from a Meeting Place on Sunday 1 July. SBS will also present a host of leading Indigenous programming throughout the week plus a 90 minute premiere Living Black music special and a screening of the annual National NAIDOC Awards. The Block can be accessed online at www.sbs.com.au/theblock from 1 July.

The Block features the unique and fascinating stories of footballer-turned-boxer Anthony Mundine, controversial CEO Mick Mundine and respected elder Ali Golding, among many more. With the Indigenous-owned housing precinct’s original buildings now demolished and its future uncertain, this innovative online project is a time capsule that captures the victories and tragedies of the first 40 years of the Block district in Sydney’s suburb of Redfern. It is a documentary in which the Block’s residents tell their own stories of struggle, unity and self-determination.

The online project also features an interactive timeline featuring 18 key events from throughout the Block’s history, built from SBS news archives and interviews with academics and historians. High-res panoramic photography allows a virtual “walk through” the Block.

Some of the remarkable stories of past residents featured in the project include: Cecil Bowden, a Wiradjuri man and a member of the Stolen Generations, who spent 17 years in children’s homes and later 35 years in prison. He shot a man on the Block and served time for manslaughter. Edna Craigie is a Kamilaroi woman and retired Aboriginal health worker who was one of the first people to be offered a house on the Block in 1972. Shane Phillips is the son of two of the Block’s de facto founders and is himself a respected community leader.

Also as part of NAIDOC Week SBS will be featuring the acclaimed and emotive Indigenous documentaries Nin’s Brother and No Apologies. A full list of programming follows.

Sunday 1 July at 3:30pm: Nin’s Brother, SBS One
In 1960, Agnes Coe (Nin) learned of the death of her brother Milton, an Indigenous man, in a mine in South Australia, but the story has always been based on loose facts and unanswered questions. It was rumoured that Milton had been killed by a local policeman after he started a relationship with the man’s white daughter. In 2009, Milton’s great niece, filmmaker Mary Munro makes the journey to South Australia in a search for answers.

Sunday 1 July at 4:00pm: No Apologies, SBS One
No Apologies tells the story of two Australian Aboriginal girls Kyah Simon and Lydia Williams, who made it to the 2011 FIFA World Cup in Germany. One had her schooling in the back of the family van as they travelled across the outback, the other attended a private school. One is a striker and the other a goalkeeper.

Sunday 8 July at 3:30pm: Black Tracks: A Living Black NAIDOC Week Music Special, SBS One
Hosted by Karla Grant, Living Black presents the very best of the best of their musical performances in a 90 minute music extravaganza featuring Jessica Mauboy, Christine Anu, Casey Donovan, Microwave Jenny and many more including emerging artists such as Nellie Dargin, Nangral, Jess Beck and Yung Warriors.

Saturday 7 July at 9:35pm: National NAIDOC Awards 2012, SBS Two
Held at the end of every NAIDOC week, the annual NAIDOC awards recognise the outstanding contributions that Indigenous Australians make to improve the lives of Indigenous people in their communities and beyond, or to promote Indigenous issues in the wider community, or the excellence they have shown in their chosen field. There are awards in ten different categories, covering a diverse range of fields and talents. This year’s ceremony will be held at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart, Tasmania and hosted by Karla Grant and Aaron Pederson.

In addition to a week of leading Indigenous programming, SBS will commemorate NAIDOC Week with a dedicated website that will contain special features that include screening highlights and On Demand offerings at sbs.com.au/naidoc