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Reconciliation Week 2018

Festival
This is a past event
Festival

Dates

27 May 2018 - 3 June 2018
Daily
10am - late

Address

Fed Square

Access

Lift access
Wheelchair accessible

Getting There

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We’re hosting a wide range of events here at the square to help commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey – the successful 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.

Songs for Reconciliation 

We will be welcoming some of Australia’s most celebrated performers as part of Reconciliation Week. Join Neil Morris, Kutcha Edwards, Alice Skye, Mojo Juju and Indigenous Hip Hop Projects as they play every lunchtime in the square.  Click here to find out who is playing when.

Colony: Frontier Wars

Until September 2

Colony: Frontier Wars explores the period of colonisation in Australia from 1788 onwards and its often devastating effects on First Peoples. The period, that to many was the discovery of a ‘wondrous’ southern continent, was to others an invasion of homelands occupied for many millennia. Click here for further info.

Colony: Australia 1770–1861

Sunday May 27 to Sunday July 15

Colony: Australia 1770–1861 explores Australia’s complex colonial past, the art that emerged during this period and surveys the key settlements and development of life and culture in the colonies. Importantly, the exhibition acknowledges the impact of colonisation on Indigenous communities. Read more here. 

 Deep Listening: Know the Soul of This Country

Sunday May 27

The Boon Wurrung Foundation presents an afternoon of reflection on Australia’s Colonial past in the Colony: Frontier Wars exhibition space at NGV Australia.

The Decolonising of Aboriginal Representation on our Screens

Tuesday May 29

Decolonizing the Australian film industry and how First Nations people want to be portrayed are the current debates with Aboriginal and Torres Strait actors, directors and producers.

Join our host Leila Gurruwiwi (from Marngrook Football Show) along with guest panellists; award winning author Uncle Bruce Pascoe, playwright and filmmaker Tracey Rigney and academic Crystal McKinnon in a provocative discussion on Aboriginal identity and the Australian film and television industry. Read more here.

We Don’t Need a Map

Tuesday May 29

Warwick Thornton’s spirited documentary investigates Australia’s relationship with the Southern Cross and introduces the constellation’s astronomical, colonial and Indigenous histories.

This free film screening for schools and the general public includes a 15 min Education introduction. Read more here.

Curator’s Perspective: Gordon Bennett

Wednesday May 30

NGV curator Pip Wallis shares her reflections on the work of Gordon Bennett, on display in the exhibition Colony: Frontier Wars. Read more. 

 The Long Walk

Saturday June 2

Join Essendon legend Michael Long on the 14th annual Long Walk – putting the lives of Indigenous people back on the national agenda.

Once again there is a full schedule of amazing live entertainment and activations at Federation Square before the walk from 2pm to 5:30pm. You can check out further details and see who is performing live on the main stage by clicking here.

Mabo Day

Sunday June 3

This Reconciliation Week, the Koorie Heritage Trust and Fed Square invite you to come together and celebrate Mabo Day with the Torres Strait Island and Aboriginal communities of Victoria, to commemorate the anniversary of the Mabo Decision.

Join us for a family friendly afternoon in Deakin Edge at Fed Square, hosted by Lisa Maza, with a performance by the acclaimed Torres Strait Island dance troupe, Gerib Sik and live performances from Luke Captain and Monica Weightman and Black Sistaz. Read more here.