Royal Visits & Aboriginal Voices: A Tale of Two Histories
Posted on October 22, 2023
Oh, Australia! The land down under where kangaroos bounce, vegemite spreads, and the monarchical drama plays out like a Shakespearean tragedy mixed with a bit of Monty Python’s absurdity. This time around, it’s King Charles III’s visit that’s stirred the pot, and not just for the tea!
Imagine being 75 years old and just stepping into a bit of a hotbed debate about a pesky little topic called colonialism. Yes, that’s right! On his current Australian tour, a feisty Aboriginal senator, the indomitable Lidia Thorpe, brought a dash of reality directly to the King’s royal doorstep. I mean, talk about a warm welcome, right? “Give us back our land, give us back what you stole from us!” she proclaimed as she passionately challenged the monarch in Parliament.
Now, let’s rewind for a moment. This isn’t your typical royal visit filled with tea, scones, and awkward conversations about the weather. No, Charles is not just any historical figure on a stroll through the former colonies. No matter how many hundred-dollar notes the crown sits on, there’s a legacy of colonialism that simply doesn’t fade away with a few conciliatory nods. Thorpe, donned in a fur cape, made it clear that the ghosts of the past are not easily silenced.
Hats off to her! Anyone willing to shout “genocide” in a room full of dignitaries while sporting a fur cape deserves not just a medal, but a proper Netflix special. A flashback to her rather cheeky oath-taking moment in 2022, when as she raised her fist and declared her allegiance to none other than “the colonizer,” shows this senator isn’t here to play patty-cake with tradition.
An interesting note here: Australia hasn’t fully cut its colonial ties, despite gaining de facto independence in 1901. King Charles still sits atop the Sydney opera house like an overbearing symphony conductor, commanding respect as the Head of State, while the spirit of colonialism looms like a persistent dust bunny under the sofa. Just look to the failed referendums in 1999 and 2023; each time, Australia dodged significant constitutional changes that could’ve seen a republic or at least a nod to its Indigenous peoples in the Constitution. It’s like they tried to change the channel but ended up on a perpetual rerun of ‘Colonialism: The Unedited Edition’!
But isn’t it all a bit tragicomical? A king who’s just trying to shake hands, take selfies, and promote the royal brand in a country that’s in a bit of an existential crisis. And there stands Thorpe, channelling the spirit of every rebellious schoolkid who ever yelled, “This isn’t fair!” from the back row. The king can bring his best case of royal etiquette, but let’s be honest, no amount of ancient diplomacy can gloss over the ugly chapters in history. There’s no etiquette handbook for dealing with years of murder, displacement, and indignity.
As Australians wield their signs calling for decolonization, one has to wonder: will the next leg of monarchy include a crash course on the realities of colonialism? Perhaps a round of “Oops, my bad!” will be in order alongside handshakes and invite-only garden parties?
King Charles III, currently visiting Australia for six days, was questioned twice about British colonization. This Monday, October 21, it was in the Australian Parliament that Aboriginal senator Lidia Thorpe spoke strongly, following the king’s speech.
Aboriginal senator Lidia Thorpe challenged King Charles III on Monday October 21 during his visit to the Australian Parliament, shouting anti-colonial slogans. “Give us back our land, give us back what you stole from us!”shouted the parliamentarian in a diatribe lasting about a minute, after a speech by the king, aged 75, to the country’s elected officials and officials.
During its first official outing in Australia, on Sunday October 20, in front of the Anglican church of Saint-Thomas, in Sydney, some demonstrators brandished signs in favor of decolonization.
The independent senator, wearing a fur cape, denounced what she called the genocide of indigenous Australians during the era of European colonization of Australia. The country was a British colony for more than a century, during which thousands of Aboriginal Australians were killed and entire communities displaced.
The country gained de facto independence in 1901, but never became a full republic. King Charles remains head of state. Since October 18, he has been on a nine-day visit to Australia and Samoa, his first major foreign tour since the announcement of his cancer at the start of the year.
Ms Thorpe is known for her political stunts and fierce opposition to the monarchy. When she was sworn in in 2022, she raised her right fist as she reluctantly vowed to serve Queen Elizabeth II, Australia’s then head of state. “I solemnly and sincerely swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the colonizer Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II”she declared before being reprimanded. “Senator Thorpe, you must recite the oath as it is printed”observed the president of the chamber, Sue Lines.
Australia rejected by referendum in 1999 a change of Constitution to become a Republic. No reform in this sense is any longer on the agenda. In 2023, Australians rejected in another referendum measures to recognize Aboriginal people in the Constitution and create an Indigenous Consultative Assembly.