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First Contact

It mirrors Go Back with its immersive experience, but hopefully this SBS doco can also ignite as much conversation about Indigenous Australia.

2014-11-09_0005There’s no getting away from the point that First Contact is Go Back To Where You Came From as an Indigenous experiment.

It may be airing on the same network, SBS, but this 3 part series is produced by an entirely different company, Blackfella Films (Redfern Now, Mabo), and not CJZ. It’s a little surprising given an SBS exec once disagreed with me that the Go Back format could be applied to different experiences, but it is a welcome one nevertheless.

Like the refugee series that preceded it, this centres around ordinary Australians who have outspoken opinions on the subject they will face. There are 6 Aussies, aged 23 – 41 who will spend 28 days immersed and challenged by Indigenous encounters.

They have been selected due to their stereotypical views of Aboriginals as addicts, welfare cheats, dole bludgers, primitive and alcoholics -only a few temper these views by acknowledging Indigenous Australians are disadvantaged and, too often, invisible to so many other Australians.

They begin in the shadow of Uluru when presenter Ray Martin tells them “You are going to be shocked, you are going to be confronted.

“Do you think you might be ignorant when it comes to Aboriginal Australians?” he asks.

Sandy, a NSW mortgage broker, is told by her own mixed-race children that she resorts to racist humour.

“I always say God gave black people rhythm and soul. They can all dance and sing and look hot,” she says.

“But when it comes to brains, white people have a better gene.”

Like Go Back, we begin by dividing the group into two and living with two Indigenous families in Sydney. But these are two successful family units, living a westernised contemporary experience.

Victor Morgan owns his own home and has worked hard for what he has achieved.

“If you want to get on in this world you have to be better than the white man,” he tells Sandy, Trent and Alice.

Aboriginality, he explains cannot be measured by the colour of one’s skin. “It’s not about percentages. It’s about what’s in here.”

Participants Bo-dene, Jasmine and Marcus are told by Lavina Omealey, “Aboriginality is a bit like tea. You can add milk and sugar but it’s still tea.”

They hear stories about the Stolen Generation and community leader Shane Phillips takes them to a boxing class where Redfern youth are given opportunities to learn and develop sporting skills. It’s a small part of a concerted effort to improve the overall lifestyle amongst the Redfern community.

“For a long time we were shackled by our own perceptions of ourselves,” he explains.

But when they fly to Far North Eastern Arnhem Land the 6 experience a completely different world. In the tiny, isolated community of Nyinyikay there are just 4 houses and 20 people., representing 4 generations of the same family. Cut off from the trappings of modern society, here there is no electricity, no infrastructure and they must fend for their food in crocodile-infested waters.

The community is recognised by law as permitted to hunt turtles for food, in what proves to be a confronting experience for the 6 outsiders. There are tears and personal fears as an animal is caught and slaughtered for food.

School teacher Marcus Lacey defends his actions as sustainable hunting, yet while they must watch the most gruesome moments in order to appreciate culture, it isn’t shown by the cameras.

As the episodes unfold, the intensity ramps up. In episode two they visit Elcho Island in the Top End, where there are some 600 existing on welfare in poverty-like conditions. In Central Australia they stay in low-cost hostel accommodation for the Indigenous. They join local policing checks, debating the cost of housing and question why communities have not strived to improve their conditions. There are arguments, and a disturbing lack of insight shown by some participants. Casting for conflict is often mandatory in these kinds of shows, but the drama is effective when there are 180 u-turns by those who had been so obstinate in their views.

Without giving too much away, not all of the participants will make it through the full series here, which says a lot about their level of tolerance for an experience they signed up for. Yet it is the Indigenous community that is labelled as “whingers” and constantly “making excuses.”

Hugo Weaving narrates this important series, which will challenge many misconceptions by a wider audience. While other documentaries such as John Pilger’s Utopia have driven home their message with shock tactics, First Contact, draws upon an immersive model in which its participants will eventually challenge one another on their views, and ours as a result.

One of the most surprising elements of the 3 part doco is the lack of participation by host Ray Martin. He introduces each stage of their journey in Central Australia, Sydney, Elcho Island etc but he is nowhere to be seen when the participants are at their most conflicted. It would have been good for him to dig a little deeper into their reasoning when it mattered most. I kept feeling like returning to him as a tour guide somehow worked against the storytelling, despite his obvious passion for the topic.

Nevertheless, First Contact achieves much in challenging us on our pre-conceptions about Indigenous Australia and should be required viewing for us all. Hopefully like the show it so clearly models itself upon, it will trigger some conversations and understanding.

First Contact airs 8:30pm Tuesday November 18 – Thursday November 20 on SBS ONE.

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