National Reconciliation Week in Australia

National Reconciliation Week is a time to celebrate and build respect between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians. It also marks significant dates in the history of Indigenous Australians: the 1967 referendum and the 1992 Mabo decision. This year's theme ‘Don’t Keep History A Mystery’ invites everyone to learn more about the Australian story.

An aboriginal flag hangs next to an Australian flag in front of a blackboard. A reconciliation concept is shown in the image. Source: Getty Images/s-c-s

For 60,000 years, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have called Australia home.

When Captain James Cook first landed at Botany Bay in 1770, he declared the land he saw 'terra nullius', meaning 'no one's land'.

This set the foundation of European settlement based on British law.

What was regarded as "colonisation" from the British perspective was often seen as "invasion" by the First Peoples of Australia.

 

Listen to the feature (in Bangla) in the audio player above.

 

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