The right to die?

» Posted by Susana


Recently, there has been a massive debate in Italy. Why? Because of the legalisation of euthanasia. The question came when Eluana Englaro, 38, died in February after her feeding tube was removed. The thing is that The Vatican is located in Italy and catholic church is anti-euthanasia, so it'll be interesting to know what they'll do about it. We all have the right to live. But, and in my humble opinion, euthanasia should be allowed in some circumstances. When people are really suffering and just want to die, or the family is really suffering, and there's no chance for the person to survive, I think it should be done. I'm not for or against euthanasia, it depends. What about you? Are you for or against? Why?

Source:
- http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/sda/lowres/sdan58l.jpg

Women's Day - Equal Job Rights?

» Posted by Susana


I'm not going to post a definition of women discrimination ok? ;) That would be really boring, I know. :)

Today is the Woman's Day, and I just came across a new that says that Portugal is the 2nd country where there's job discrimination. For example, when a woman has the same job as a man and the same skills and qualifications, the man receives more 20% than the woman. So, it just had me thinking that we live in the 21st century. Things like this happened like... a hundred years ago, but nowadays?? It's almost unbelievable. How can we say we live in a developed country? How? When women are still discriminated? Women represent 60% of the world's 550 million working poor. It's the reality. And it's also true that women are still discriminated, specially in a country which claims to be a developed one and open minded. I seriously almost didn't believe it at first. And I'm not even going to talk about job discrimination when a woman is pregnant... that's even more serious, but anyway... This can be changed, this must be changed. And I hope it's changed. I personally don't want to work in a world like this.

Here you can see some cartoons about women discrimination I just found:









Sources:
- http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/for0588l.jpg
- http://www.newyorkemploymentlawyerblog.com/13157133.jpg
- http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/ksm/lowres/ksmn955l.jpg

The Secret Life of Bees - The fight for the Civil Rights

» Posted by Susana


Recently, I watched a great movie called The Secret Life of Bees. It's based on a novel with the same name, which I also read. It's a great book. Here's the synopsis of the movie:

Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life is shaped by her blurred memory of the afternoon of her mother's accidental death. When Lily's black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three racists in town, they escape to Tiburon, South Carolina.

Lily is lonely at home and feels that she is unloved by her father, T. Ray. However, with the help of August Boatwright, she is able to find that she has many people that love and care for her.

Lily is faced with trying to find out who she is because at her home she is not allowed to ask questions about her past. Lily does this in many ways, such as writing down her thoughts in a notebook, and finding her first love, Zachary Taylor. She finds out who she really is when she learns about her mother's past.

As you can see, this story happens in 1964, in South Carolina, where the discrimination was much rougher. And if you read one of my previous posts about American Civil Rights Movement, you come to the conclusion that it happened in the middle of that.

There's a situation in the movie where Rosaleen goes to register as a voter right around the time of the Voting Rights Act, and as she's going there, 3 white men ask her where she's going and say that she can't vote if she can't write her own name, and start insulting her. So, with her bottle of chewing tobacco, she writes with that liquid her name in the shoes of one of those white. She gets punched right after and beaten by the three men, and she's arrested.

Specially with this moment, we can see how discriminated black people were and how police would always stand for white people. Here's a video of that scene:

Sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Life_of_Bees

Ellen DeGeneres - An assumed human being

» Posted by Susana


Ellen DeGeneres is an american talk show host. One of the best, by the way. One of the greatest comedians. She looks perfect. You look at her for 1 minute hosting, and you understand why she's considered one of the best in her job. She won several Emmys and even hosted the 2007 Oscars! A perfect career, isn't? There's just one thing 'limited' people will never accept: she's homosexual. She dated Portia de Rossi since 2004. They married in 2008 as soon as gay marriage was legally approved. And some people still don't accept it. Personally, I think that personal life shouldn't influence her career. I could be here all day talking about Ellen, and showing hundreds of videos of her talk show called The Ellen DeGeneres Show, but I won't. I just wanted to make clear that gay discrimination also happens to celebrities, which I think it's pretty sad.

Recently, she had a little discussion with John McCain about Gay Marriage. Check the video at the bottom:



Here's a video of Ellen's show best moments. She's hilarious.



And here's a random video, really funny.



Sources:
- http://youtube.com

Apartheid

» Posted by Luísa

Apartheid was a policy of racial segregation developed in South Africa, prepared by the direct descendants of pioneers who colonized the African continent, mostly European [Dutch, French and German], called Afrikaans.

The European colonizers had a design that would create a perfect society, and they also believed they were chosen by God. They began to put into practice the separation between white and black, this separation that lasted until the 90's. In 1948, the apartheid became official. The law was based on the principle of conservation and cultural purity, because the Europeans thought that they were the superior race. Among the restrictions imposed by whites on blacks, are, of course, the non-access to vote and prohibition from applying for office.
This context of pure prejudice has changed only in the 50's. It was motivated by the African National Congress and led by Nelson Mandela.
In 1960, a demonstration against apartheid in a peaceful manner had serious consequences: 60 blacks were killed by the police. This news of violence against blacks won the world, thus won the support of public opinion. In 1973, the UN General Assembly condemned the actions that occurred in South Africa and classified as crime.

Through the pressures suffered by black people, the president Frederik de Klerk changed some laws that restricted the black participation in politics and he reformulated them because of its racist essence, however, Apartheid only ended in 1994 when Nelson Mandela reached the presidency.

Visit this site to know more: http://www.apartheidmuseum.org/

Sources:
- http://www.brasilescola.com/geografia/apartheid.htm
- http://www.africanaencyclopedia.com/apartheid/apartheid.html
- http://www.ibge.gov.br/ibgeteen/datas/discriminacao/apartheid.html

What's going on?

» Posted by Luísa

Today, I decided to present to you a music - 'What's Going On?'. This is a original by Marvin Gaye of 1971, but in October 2001, a group of many popular artists, such as Alicia Keys, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Usher, Bono, Jennifer Lopez, Ja Rule, among others, under the name "Artists Against AIDS Worldwide", released an album - ''All Stars Tribute'' - to benefit AIDS programs in Africa and other impoverished regions. So, enjoy the song:

This song tells about the discrimination that people who have with AIDS suffer (Physical Discrimination) and also about the political and social troubles of the world of black and white people (Racial Discrimination). As I said before, on my post about the U.S.A, they are the most multiracial population, so unfortunately these problems are very common in their society. The blindfolds represent the prejudices and they are taking the blindfolds off like a methaphore - Without blindfolds, we can see everything clear. It means that we are all equal, we can't discriminate anyone for being or having a different colour, race, religion, culture or gender. This was made in 2001, but we're in 2009...and nothing have changed.
So the question is: What's going on?

If you want, you can check the lyrics here.

Sources:
- http://youtube.com
- http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/allstartribute/whatsgoingon.html%22

The most multiracial population

» Posted by Luísa

As you can see on this image, the U.S.A has one of the most multiracial population in the world. African, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Irish, Italian, even Japonese and Portuguese people live there.

Some facts:

• About two million American children have parents of difference races.
• In the United States, marriages between blacks and whites increased 400 percent in the last 30 years, with a 1000 percent increase in marriages between whites and Asians.
• In a recent survey, 47% of white teens, 60 % of black teens, and 90 % of Hispanic teens said they had dated someone of another race.

A very known exemple of this type of family is Jolie-Pitt's case. Angelina and Brad Pitt have 6 children: Maddox adopted from Cambodia, Zahara adopted from Ethiopia, Shiloh was born in Namibia, Pax adopted from Vietnam, and the twins Knox and Viviene were born in France.

Sources:
- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Census-2000-Data-Top-US-Ancestries-by-County.jpg
- http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/p/bradpitt.htm

Brain drain

» Posted by Luísa

This graphic show us the share of brain drain on the world.

So, what means this?

- Brain drain is, according to the dictionary, the loss of skilled intellectual and technical labor through the movement of such labor to more favorable geographic, economic, or professional environments, it means that highly skilled people are leaving developing countries and they are going to the developed countries, for work and to have a better life. It causes a deep inequality between the countries. The developed are developing more and the others are in a bad situation.
The opposite is called brain gain, and consist on the immigration of qualified persons to our country. Brain drain can be stopped by providing career opportunities and giving to the people opportunities to prove their capabilities.

But, some specialists say that ''Reducing Brain Drain May Not Be the Best Answer''.

Brain drain isn't always bad, so limiting the movement of highly skilled people is not really necessary. Indeed, measures aimed at reducing the recruitment of developing-country professionals in several sectors (like health care but also in education) in some developed countries may only be a band-aid solution.

In 2000, a study revealed that, over the years, Latin American countries were very damaged. They had suffered considerable losses of specialized professionals. This is visible on the percentages:

- Argentina....2.9 %
- Brazil..........3.3 %
- Chile..........5.3 %
- Ecuador......10.9 %
- Colombia...11.0 %
- Mexico......14.3 %

The same study revealed that during the '90s, a significant number of those who emigrated from Latin America were specialized professionals, constituting the following proportions as a percent of each country's volume of emigrants:

- Mexico.........2.6 %
- Peru............10.0 %
- Chile.............15.6 %
- Argentina....19.1 %

Sources:
- http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?ID=324
- http://www.oecd.org/document/11/0,3343,en_2649_33935_39276939_1_1_1_1,00.html
- http://www.clarin.com/diario/2005/04/28/sociedad/s-03601.htm

Live 8

» Posted by Inês

Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa, organised by Bob Geldof and co-organised by Midge Ure. More than 1,000 musicians performed at the concerts, which were broadcast on 182 television networks and 2,000 radio networks. There were ten concerts held on 2 July 2005, most of them simultaneously. The first to begin was held at the Makuhari Messe in Japan, with Rize being the first of all the Live 8 performers. During the opening of the Philadelphia concert, Will Smith led the combined audiences of London, Philadelphia, Berlin, Rome, Paris and Barrie (outside Toronto) in a synchronised finger click. This was to represent the death of a child every three seconds, due to poverty.

Bob Geldof was at the event at Hyde Park in London, England and made numerous appearances on stage, including a performance of "I Don't Like Mondays". Special guests appeared throughout the concerts. Both Kofi Annan, then Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Bill Gates made speeches at the London show and Nelson Mandela addressed the crowd in the South African venue. Guest presenters, ranging from sports stars to comedians, also introduced acts. The final event was held in Edinburgh, Scotland on 6 July 2005. It featured further performances from some of the artists from the other concerts, and was the closest of the eleven to the actual location of the G8 summit.

Some examples of artists involved with Live 8 were Bryan Adams, Our Lady Peace (concert in Barrie), Audioslave, Green Day, Daniel Powter (in Berlin), Dido (in Cornwall), McFly, Natasha Bedingfield, Sugababes (in Edinburgh), Mahotella Queens (in Johannesburg), Joss Stone, Mariah Carey, Robbie Williams, Paul McCartney, Madonna, Pink Floyd, U2 (in London), Pet Shop Boys (in Moscow), Amel Bent, Shakira, Alpha Blondie (in Paris), Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas, Linkin Park (in Philadelphia), Laura Pausini (in Rome) and Good Charlotte (in Tokyo).

Sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_8
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Live_8_artists

American Civil Rights Movement

» Posted by Susana



What was it?
The American Civil Rights Movement was a phase with many protests such as civil disobedience, nonviolent resistance, marches, boycotts and ‘freedom rides’ in the United States with the goal of ending legal racial discrimination against African Americans, especially in the South.
This period lasted 13 years – from 1955 to 1968 – and its main figures were Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks.



How did it started?
Everything started when, in December 1955, Rosa Parks, an African American seamstress, refused to give her seat on a bus to a white man. She was then arrested and charged for violating racial segretation laws in Montgomery, Alabama. Right after that the movement started with the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was a protest campaign intended to oppose the city’s policy of racial segregation on its public transit system. It lasted from December 1955 to December 1956.



Hate vs Success
After the Montgomery Bus Boycott, other protests were made which were the key for the end of legal racial discrimination.
Since the beginning of the movement until its end there were some major hate moments, which were fighted with some success moments:

Hate:

• Jim Crow Laws
• The arrest of Rosa Parks
• The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing
• The Ku Klux Klan
• The assassinations of Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X

Success:

• Banning of segregated buses
• Brown v. Board of Education
• Sit-ins
• March on Washington
• Civil Rights Act
• Voting Rights Act

How did it end?
This movement was finally stopped when the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act were signed in 1964 and 1965, which outlawed racial segregation in schools, public places, and employment, and would establish the right to vote. Of course there were still some protests, but this period was the most important one. American Africans made their voices heard, and had a dream that came true.


Sources:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC62HmApl0g
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Street_Baptist_Church_bombing
- http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/16thstreetbaptistchurch/a/16streetbombing.htm
- http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart9.html
- http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/par0int-4
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_on_Washington_for_Jobs_and_Freedom
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_Klux_Klan
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964
- http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAvoting65.htm

The Holocaust

» Posted by Inês

The Holocaust was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II, as part of a program of deliberate extermination planned and executed by Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler. The Jewish population wasn’t the only target, though. Other groups were also persecuted and killed, like the Romani, Soviet civilians, Soviet prisoners of war, ethnic Poles, the disabled, homosexual men and political and religious opponents. Most scholars, however, define the Holocaust as genocide of European Jewry alone, or what the Nazis called the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question." The total number of victims of Nazi genocidal policies is generally agreed to be between 9 and 11 million.

One of the main forms of killing was the concentration and labour camps, such as Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen and Dachau. These early camps were meant to hold, torture, or kill only political prisoners. Anne Frank, the 15-year old girl whose diary is known throughout the world, was in the first two along with her sister Margot. By 1942, six large extermination camps had been established in Nazi-occupied Poland. After 1939, the camps increasingly became places where Jews were killed or forced to live as slave laborers, undernourished and tortured. It is estimated that the Germans established 15,000 camps in the occupied countries, many of them in Poland. Upon admission, some camps tattooed prisoners with a prisoner ID. Those fit for work were dispatched for 12 to 14 hour shifts. Before and after, there were roll calls that could sometimes last for hours, with prisoners regularly dying of exposure. There were also the extermination camps, death marches and gas chambers.

The first major camp, Majdanek, was discovered by the advancing Soviets on July 23, 1944. Auschwitz was liberated, also by the Soviets, on January 27, 1945; Buchenwald by the Americans on April 11; Bergen-Belsen by the British on April 15; Dachau by the Americans on April 29; Ravensbrück by the Soviets on the same day; Mauthausen by the Americans on May 5; and Theresienstadt by the Soviets on May 8. Treblinka, Sobibor, and Belzec were never liberated, but were destroyed by the Nazis in 1943. In most of the camps discovered by the Soviets, almost all the prisoners had already been removed, leaving only a few thousand alive—7,000 inmates were found in Auschwitz, including 180 children who had been experimented on by doctors. Some 60,000 prisoners were discovered at Bergen-Belsen by the British 11th Armoured Division, 13,000 corpses lay unburied, and another 10,000 died from typhus (like Anne and Margot) or malnutrition over the following weeks. The British forced the remaining SS guards to gather up the corpses and place them in mass graves.

Source:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocaust

Martin Luther King's Quotes

» Posted by Inês

We all know who this man was. We all know his work and contribution for a society of equal rights, without judging people by what they are. We all should look up at this example of a true hero in History, who gave everything he had to help build a better world. Here’s a list of Dr. Martin Luther King’s most famous quotes:

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

“Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man’s sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.”

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

“Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: - ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’” – I Have a Dream speech

“At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

“I submit to you that if a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” – I Have a Dream speech

“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.”

Source:
- http://www.themartinlutherking.info/50-martin-luther-king-jr-quotes.html

Rage Against The Machine - Renegades of Funk

» Posted by Inês

Here’s a song by Rage Against The Machine. It talks about people who weren’t afraid of being different, exposing their beliefs and fighting for them, being criticized/chased/arrested/etc. for doing it, the so called ‘renegades’. It shows us that we can actually leave our mark in this planet if we raise our voice. The band declares that it is ‘a new musical revelation’, therefore presenting something never seen before and standing out, like the ‘renegades’ whose actions changed the world and are applauded today.

These are the lyrics if you’d like to sing along:

No matter how hard you try, you can't stop us now
No matter how hard you try, you can't stop us now

We're the renegades of this atomic age
This atomic age of renegades
Renegades of this atomic age
This atomic age of renegades

Since the Prehistoric ages and the days of ancient Greece
Right down through the Middle Ages
Planet earth kept going through changes
And then no renaissance came, and times continued to change
Nothing stayed the same, but there were always renegades
Like Chief Sitting Bull, Tom Paine
Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X
They were renegades of their time and age
So many renegades

We're the renegades of funk
We're the renegades of funk
We're the renegades of funk
We're the renegades of funk

From a different solar system many many galaxies away
We are the force of another creation
A new musical revelation
And we're on this musical mission to help the others listen
And groove from land to land singin' electronic chants like
Zulu nation
Revelations
Destroy our nations
Destroy our nations
Destroy our nations
Destroy our nations
Destroy our nations
Destroy our nations

Now renegades are the people with their own philosophies
They change the course of history
Everyday people like you and me
We're the renegades we're the people
With our own philosophies
We change the course of history
Everyday people like you and me
C'mon
We're the renegades of funk
We're the renegades of funk
We're the renegades of funk
We're the renegades of funk

Poppin', sockin', rockin' puttin' a side of hip-hop
Because where we're goin' there ain't no stoppin'
Poppin', sockin', puttin' a side of hip-hop
Because where we're goin' there ain't no stoppin'
Poppin', sockin', rockin' puttin' a side of hip-hop
'Cause we're poppin', sockin', rockin' puttin' a side of hip-hop
Poppin', sockin', rockin' puttin' a side of hip-hop

We're the renegades of funk
We're the renegades of funk
We're the renegades of funk
We're the renegades of funk

We're teachers of the funk
And not of empty popping
We're blessed with the force and the sight of electronics
With the bass, and the treble the horns and our vocals
'Cause everytime I pop into the beat we get fresh

There was a time when our music
Was something called the Bay Street beat
People would gather from all around
To get down to the big sound
You had to be a renegade in those days
To take a man to the dance floor

Say jam sucker
Say jam sucker
Say groove sucker
Say groove sucker
Say dance sucker
Say dance sucker
Now move sucker
Now move sucker(x2)

We're the renegades of funk

Sources:
- http://www.ratm.net/lyrics/renegades/ren.html
- Video posted by YouTube user dunky182.

Amnesty International

» Posted by Luísa

- Working to Protect Human Rights -

Who they are?

Amnesty International is a worldwide association who campaign for the defense of the human rights. They defend that everyone must to be respected and protected, independent of religion, race, gender or colour.

How everything started...

Amnesty International was founded in 1961,by the English lawyer Peter Benenson.
He was reading the newspaper 'The Observer' and he noticed on a news that mentioned the case of two Portuguese students who had been arrested after they have yelled in public "Long Live to Freedom!" during the Salazar's regime in Portugal. Benenson at once appealed to the countries take measures to help people who didn't have freedom for their political or religious convictions, and also to help who suffered of racial/language prejudice or persecution. After two months of his appeal, the representatives of five countries created a basis for an international movement to defend human rights.

Some campaigns

• Stop violence against women
• Defend the rights and dignity of those trapped in poverty
• Abolish the death penalty
• Oppose torture and combat terror with justice
• Free prisoners of conscience
• Protect the rights of refugees and migrants
• Regulate the global arms trade

How many are they?

They have more than 2.2 million members and subscribers in more than 150 countries and regions (including Portugal) and they coordinate this support to act for justice on a wide range of issues.

Some images of their campaigns




Sources:
- http://www.amnesty.org/
- http://www.amnistia-internacional.pt/
- http://amnistia.iscte.pt/2006/03/o-que-amnistia-internacional-ai.html

Independence Day

» Posted by Inês

The 4th of July or Independence Day is a federal holiday in the United States of America which commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

History

During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the American colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia. After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a committee but with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4. One of the most enduring myths about Independence Day is that Congress signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The myth had become so firmly established that, decades after the event and nearing the end of their lives, even the elderly Thomas Jefferson and John Adams had come to believe that they and the other delegates had signed the Declaration on the fourth. Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two founding fathers of the United States and the only two men who signed the Declaration of Independence to become president, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the United States' 50th anniversary.

Celebration

Nowadays, families often celebrate Independence Day by hosting or attending a picnic or barbecue and take advantage of the day off and, in some years, long weekend to gather with relatives. Decorations (e.g., streamers, balloons, and clothing) are generally coloured red, white, and blue. Parades often are in the morning, while fireworks displays occur in the evening at such places as parks, fairgrounds, or town squares.

Source:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States)

'Sister, If You Only Knew'

» Posted by Luísa

I was seaching for something to post here and I found this. This is a documentary of 1957, which name is Sister, if you only knew, produced by Suzanne Baker and directed by Janet Isaac.

It talks about the pressure experienced by Aboriginals women when they and their families go to the city, and it talks also about the effect that these pressures have on their husbands and their children.

In spite of all life's difficulties, women seem to survive the urban environment better than men. Their humour and intelligence in the face of adversity shines through.

They were asked if they wanted to change anything in the content of this film, and their answers were "it tells the truth and that is what is important".

All the cast is composed by Aboriginal people, like Leila Rankine, Glad Elphick, Ruby Hammond and Mary Williams.

The film is also an expression of the desire of Australian feminism to properly encounter and comprehend the experience of Indigenous women. Ruby Hammond was a noted activist and public servant and she went on to become the first Aboriginal woman candidate in South Australia, in 1988.

Sources:
- http://www.abc.net.au/aplacetothink/html/sister.htm
- http://www.creativespirits.info/resources/movies/sister-if-you-only-knew.html

Australian Aborigines

» Posted by Luísa

Australia’s Aboriginal people were thought to have arrived here by boat from South East Asia during the last Ice Age, at least 50,000 years ago.



Indigenous Australians are the first human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. They are distinguished as Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders.

Today, the Aborigines represent only 1% of the Australian population. When the colonizers arrived, Australia had more than 300 thousand Aborigines, who inhabited the continent for more than 25 thousand years (this was proved through tests of carbon in paintings on rocks).



They were scattered in 300 clans and spoke 250 languages and 700 dialects. Each clan had a spiritual connection with a specific piece of land.

Curiosities:

• On the beginning of the colonization (1770), they were so primitives in technology that they didn’t know the metal.
• Their artifacts were made of wood, stone or bones.
• The boomerang, characteristic of Australia, was not primarily a tool for hunting, but a toy for fun in the village.

In 1806, the racism of the colonizers and soldiers came to a point to violate the holy places just for pleasure.

Later, Aborigines were recruited to work on farms. The payment was ridiculous compared to a white person and they were considered slow and insolent, because they accepted work for 2 pounds per week, while the whites didn’t accept less than 9.

In 1900, Australia was already independent from Britain, but the race discrimination against any person who was not an English descent still existed.

A few years later, a very serious thing happed. The fact is known as "The Stolen Generation", where Aboriginal children were taken from their villages and disappeared to never be seen again. The goal was break morally and psychologically any attempt of Aboriginal to intervene in politics.



In 1965, the population of pure Aborigines came to just over 40 thousand, because of the colonizers. They were literally massacred and expelled from the land, and they were forced to migrating to the desert regions of northern Australia, where the most part of English people would have difficulties in adapting to the heat of almost 50 degrees.



Recently, the ex-Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard deplored this, but didn’t apologize officially, because this would result in millions of dollars to pay to the families or their descendants.

Some several anti-discrimination laws were introduced by the government in Australia. Racial discrimination has become a serious crime. Although many Aborigines are highly integrated in society today, they have also the right to vote, but the majority still living in isolated areas far from land and large cities.

Sources:
- http://www.australia.com/about/history.aspx
- https://www.nassirimusic.com/wp-content/gallery/australia/australia-download-1.jpg
- http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abor%C3%ADgene_australiano
- http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficheiro:Bathurst_Island_men.jpg