Monday, June 16, 2014

SECRETS OF THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE : AN ABORIGINAL POET


Two of  this  blog’s  learned  scouts   spend  much  time in  Asia and  return  with   most  interesting  books,  printed guides , textiles , mixed ephemera   and  a  wealth of   information  and  anecdotes   about  what  is  going on  in  this important   region .  One  of  the  items  they    kindly  bought   for  us is the  collection   of   poems  by  Lionel  George Fogarty    in   one   of  the  many   interesting bookshops  in  Thailand’s   exotic   Chiang   Mai . 


 Fogarty   was  born  at   Cherbourg  Aboriginal Reserve , Queensland, and was 24 when  this  book  was  published  in  1982.  There  is a  foreword  by  Aboriginal activist  Gary Foley :

Lionel Fogarty is a strong , proud , young Black Australian who has managed  to overcome a multitude of imposed ‘handicaps’ (like growing up under the notorious  Queensland  Aborigine Act, lack of formal education , continuing difficulties in reading and writing ,etc.)  to emerge as potentially one  of the Aboriginal  people’s most important poets.

His work reflects the deep anger and hurt of many generations  of  totally oppressed  Black Australians, and  yet , at  the  same time manages to convey the  profound  warmth , compassion  and love that  exists between  Aboriginal people  in  their own communities .

This  remarkable  ability  results in a  powerful book of poetry which is required reading  for all those emphathetic non-Aboriginal  people who wish  to try and understand  the long-term effects of  what we Aboriginal  people have experienced  since our country was invaded , and the subsequent dispossession and subjugation  of our people. This book is a worthy follow up to  Lionel’s first book, Kargun, in which he clearly  gave notice  that he is a Black Australian  writer who cannot be ignored.  I commend this , his latest volume , to all people of  all races  who are committed  to the fundamental principle that all human beings  should be  able  to live  with dignity, self respect and  freedom. 
Fogarty’s  volume  was  found in Shaman's  bookshop, its 2009 stock number sticker, which  shows  a  cat reading a book , is  shown here .

Soon after receiving Fogarty's book  his name came  up  in  relation  to  the  Rachel  Perkins  documentary  film Black Power Woman , highlighting   the involvement of    Marlene Cummins in  the Brisbane Chapter of the American Black Power  Party  during  the Joh-Bjelke - Petersen era  in  the 1970s. A  clip of  the   film  shown  during  a  TV interview   showed   poet  Lionel Fogarty  expressing  awe  about the  way  Cummins went about her  work  in  the  secretive organisation . NEXT : Inside  Chiang  Mai's bookshops  with a connection  to the Underground Comix scene in Berkeley and  San Francisco .