Q&A with Kylie Sambo: on fighting for justice Each week, a new guest hosts the @IndigenousX twitter account. We’re inviting them to tell us about who they are theguardian.com June 13, 2014 Jump to comments (18) This week on IndigenousX: Kylie Sambo. Photograph: /IndigenousX Each week, a new guest hosts the @IndigenousX twitter account to discuss topics of interest as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. In partnership with IndigenousX, we’re inviting its weekly host to tell us about who they are, what issues they’re passionate about, and what they have in store for us during their upcoming week. Tell us about who you are, where you are from, and what you do. My name is Kylie Sambo. My people are the Warlmanpa and Warumungu and I live in Tennant Creek. We have strong culture that we still practice, with ceremonies every year. I am a hip-hop artist. The main focus in my music are the struggles that I see happening and that I have experienced. I am also an activist on behalf of my people – I have a gift to help people who are unable to speak up for themselves. What do you plan to focus on during your week as host of @IndigenousX? My main focus will be keeping everyone updated about a current federal court case that is taking place in Tennant Creek. My family is challenging an attempt to dump nuclear waste on our land. We have been fighting against this dump for seven years now. We weren’t properly consulted about it. The government and Northern Land Council (NLC) have been pushing hard for it, even though it’s not their land. They just haven’t been listening. We are afraid that a nuclear waste dump will mean we lose our rights to go onto our country, visit our sites, hunt and collect. We are also worried it will poison that land. I’ll also be talking about the way the police mistreat us here in Tennant Creek – trying to control us and keep us down. One other issue I want to talk about is income management, and the BasicsCard that came in with the Intervention. We should be entitled to manage our own money, instead of the Centrelink telling us what to do. What issues are you most passionate about and why? I want people to know that we may be from a remote area, we may have poor education, but we are here standing up for what we believe in – which is our culture, our land and our future generations. We will not let them bully us in our own country……………… What are your hopes for the future? On paper, it says everyone is Australia is supposed to be equal, but there is dirty business going on under the table here that means as Aboriginal people, we are not equal at all. We still suffer racism, discrimination, things like this nuclear waste dump and income management. Then there are the small things that happen day to day, when you step back and look at it, you can see that we are so far from equal in our own country. This is our land. For the future I want us to be able to live as equals in our own land. Read more http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/13/qa-with-kylie-sambo-on-fighting-for-justice

Q&A with Kylie Sambo: on fighting for justice
Each week, a new guest hosts the @IndigenousX twitter account. We’re inviting them to tell us about who they are
theguardian.com June 13, 2014 Jump to comments (18)

This week on IndigenousX: Kylie Sambo. Photograph: /IndigenousX
Each week, a new guest hosts the @IndigenousX twitter account to discuss topics of interest as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. In partnership with IndigenousX, we’re inviting its weekly host to tell us about who they are, what issues they’re passionate about, and what they have in store for us during their upcoming week.
Tell us about who you are, where you are from, and what you do.
My name is Kylie Sambo. My people are the Warlmanpa and Warumungu and I live in Tennant Creek. We have strong culture that we still practice, with ceremonies every year. I am a hip-hop artist. The main focus in my music are the struggles that I see happening and that I have experienced. I am also an activist on behalf of my people – I have a gift to help people who are unable to speak up for themselves.
What do you plan to focus on during your week as host of @IndigenousX?
My main focus will be keeping everyone updated about a current federal court case that is taking place in Tennant Creek. My family is challenging an attempt to dump nuclear waste on our land. We have been fighting against this dump for seven years now. We weren’t properly consulted about it. The government and Northern Land Council (NLC) have been pushing hard for it, even though it’s not their land. They just haven’t been listening. We are afraid that a nuclear waste dump will mean we lose our rights to go onto our country, visit our sites, hunt and collect. We are also worried it will poison that land.
I’ll also be talking about the way the police mistreat us here in Tennant Creek – trying to control us and keep us down. One other issue I want to talk about is income management, and the BasicsCard that came in with the Intervention. We should be entitled to manage our own money, instead of the Centrelink telling us what to do.
What issues are you most passionate about and why?
I want people to know that we may be from a remote area, we may have poor education, but we are here standing up for what we believe in – which is our culture, our land and our future generations. We will not let them bully us in our own country………………
What are your hopes for the future?
On paper, it says everyone is Australia is supposed to be equal, but there is dirty business going on under the table here that means as Aboriginal people, we are not equal at all. We still suffer racism, discrimination, things like this nuclear waste dump and income management. Then there are the small things that happen day to day, when you step back and look at it, you can see that we are so far from equal in our own country. This is our land. For the future I want us to be able to live as equals in our own land.
Read more http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/13/qa-with-kylie-sambo-on-fighting-for-justice