Australian Embassy in Cairo holds talk on Australian Aboriginal culture

CAIRO - 24 July 2018: The Embassy of Australia in Cairo organized on Wednesday a discussion panel on the Australian indigenous arts and heritage at Cairo’s arts hub Wanas, with the participation of Indigenous Australian and Deputy Chair of the Australia Council Board, Lee-Ann Buckskin.

The afternoon event, which came as part of the Australian Embassy’s celebration of the National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee Week, comprised of several talks on Australia’s indigenous cultural heritage and aboriginal women’s contributions to their communities.

The panel discussion was held under the auspices of Australian Ambassador to Cairo, Neil Hawkins, and moderated by AUC professor and co-founder of the Australian-Egyptian arts initiative HashemProductionz, Mohamed Hashem.

The participants also focused on the importance of engaging with arts in promoting societal positive values, cultural heritage and diversity, and eliminating gender stereotypes as well as stereotypes associated with the culture of Aboriginal Australians.

In statements to Egypt today, Ms Buckskin stressed that both Egypt and Australia have great ancient civilizations that need to be talked about more.

She added that given that both countries have two of the earth’s oldest living civilizations; an international platform must be given to people who will take it upon themselves to share their history with other people of different civilizations, emphasizing the need to push for mutual collaborations in this regard.

“Ms Buckskin has a strong history of working with Australian Indigenous artists and is a highly regarded arts management and policy professional in Australia. Her areas of expertise include indigenous cultural preservation and identity, mentoring youth through the arts, arts as a medium for activism, developing national arts management policy, and promoting pride in cultural heritage,” a statement by the Australian Embassy read.

Held from July 8 to 15, NAIDOC week is commemorated annually in Australia to celebrate the culture and achievements of Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander people.