07 Jul Heal Country!

This week – July 4-11, 2021 – is Naidoc week in Australia. Naidoc Week activities celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

The theme for Naidoc Week 2021 is “Heal Country!” and the message could not be more critical. The themes raised by Naidoc, while not directed at tourism, have deep implications for our industry. There is growing recognition in sustainable and regenerative tourism of the value of indigenous wisdom in what we call “destination stewardship”. In the words of the Naidoc committee:

The NAIDOC 2021 theme – Heal Country! – calls for all of us to continue to seek greater protections for our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration, and destruction.

Country that is more than a place and inherent to our identity.

Country that we speak about like a person, sustaining our lives in every aspect – spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially, and culturally.

NAIDOC 2021 invites the nation to embrace First Nations’ cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia’s national heritage and equally respect the culture and values of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders as they do the cultures and values of all Australians.

For generations we have been calling for stronger measures to recognize, protect, and maintain all aspects of our culture and heritage.

We are still waiting for those robust protections.

The theme description continues…

This year’s theme also seeks substantive institutional, structural, and collaborative reform – something generations of our Elders and communities have been advocating, marching and fighting for.

Healing Country means finally resolving many of the outstanding injustices which impact on the lives of our people.

It is about hearing and actioning the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples which are the culmination of generations of consultation and discussions among our nations on a range of issues and grievances.

After 250 years, our children and our future generations deserve better.

We cannot afford to let pass the very real opportunity that now presents itself for reform based on a fundamental change in the relationship Australia has with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Heal Country, heal our nation.

Without a doubt, there is much to be done to overcome the issues faced by Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islanders in Australia. Even so, the call for social justice for marginalized groups echoes around the world. The themes of Naidoc 2021 must be applied not only in Australia but everywhere.

Tourism must recognize its intersectionality with these cultural and environmental issues. And so, Tourism must meet the challenge of healing Country, respecting – and celebrating – the values and cultures of all the world’s peoples, and righting past wrongs.

For more information: www.Naidoc.org.au   and to read the full theme – click here