Water is life and Charlette respects the ancient knowledge and the custodian of this waterhole. Before diving into the living water Charlette is advised by an elder to rub a stone under her armpits and throw into the water to give her safe passage. Wangkatjungka Community, Western Australia ©Ingetje Tadros

This is My Country
Netherlands   www.ingetjetadros.com

This is My Country looks at people standing on the precipice of life: disenfranchised, neglected and now threatened with displacement. Kennedy Hill Community is just one community that exists in the shadows of Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett’s commitment to close down approximately 100 – 150 Aboriginal communities in Western Australia. Aboriginal Elders and Leaders are shocked and see the closing down of communities as a threat. To them, losing their country is not just like losing a home; is losing the connection to everything that ties them to the country; community, language, kin, law, culture. Aboriginal people belong to their country just like your breath belongs to you. Country sustains Aboriginal people.

This is My Country is a confronting portrayal of an unacceptable situation. It puts forward a plea to fellow Australians to take action to remove the inequity for the First Peoples of this country and that the images remind us not to turn a blind eye to the suffering of our fellow man.