22. socio political: How might you feel?

'BabaKiueria' (Barbecue Area) is a satirical film made in 1986 which shows relations between Aboriginal Australians and non-Aboriginal Australians. The production uses role-reversal to help the viewer understand how assumptions, prejudices and stereotypes by majority members in any community can offend, marginalise and disadvantage those from a minority group. Remember, in this film non-Aboriginal people act the part of the minority First Peoples, and Aboriginal people act the part of the BabaKiuerian colonisers who have come from across the sea!

If you would like more information about the short film 'BabaKiueria' and a short explanation giving the context of the film, please click here before moving on to view the following short excerpt.

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This scene depicts the colonisers coming ashore in a new and strange land, a land already inhabited by people of a different culture.

The conquerors approach and their leader asks in a condescending fashion, "What... do... you... call... this... place?", and a First Australian replies, "It's a barbecue area".

"They call this BabaKiueria!", says the leader to his men, "Nice native name. Colourful. I like it!"

In this clip we get an insight into the attitudes of colonials at that time, who arrived in a new place and assumed their superiority, before exercising what they believed was their God-given right - to subjugate Indigenous peoples in the process of taking dominion of the land. We sense from the leaders' condescending attitude that if he didn't like the name 'BabaKiueria' he would simply have taken it upon himself to change it.

How must the Aboriginal people have felt when, one day, strangers arrived with weapons more powerful than their own and simply took over their world?