ABDULLAH TEIA

Nuba Mountains Association of SA Inc, Nuba Mountains is an area located in South Kordofan, Sudan and home to a mix of traditional African, Christian and Muslim people

Abdullah upholds the Nuba Mountain’s tradition of storytelling. Surrounded by images of traditional body painting, dance and wrestling alongside displays of handmade miniature clay huts and instruments, including a harp, I am honoured to hear Abdullah share his very personal journey and insights into the extraordinarily rich cultural practices of the people of the Nuba Mountains.

Tell me about the association?

It is a community organisation. I came here with my family in 2001 due to the horrible situation in the Nuba Mountains.

I returned to Sudan in 2005 but couldn’t go to my home because of the war and a relative advised me not to go there as I am an educated person so I would be targeted.

We were only seven families here in South Australia but managed to organise the organisation. We may have been small in number, but we managed to make a big voice, including in 2002 when we met with key political figures in Canberra and highlighted the issue of the Nuba Mountains and insights about the root causes of the South Sudan problem.

Through community workshops we have highlighted our stories. As an artist I have also delivered workshops with children and I have written a folklore story in English that was performed as a play at the Festival theatre and several schools. We have fundraised for Oxfam and collaborated with a cultural group from Melbourne to showcase our cultural dance, most of the dances are a celebration after the harvest.

Being cut off from home for more than 25 years we became homesick, so the culture lingers with our roots.

What is the hope for the future?

We are highlighting the Nuba Mountain’s issues because we need support from our MP’s and the community to know the catastrophic problem that is still happening.

What actions would you like included in an ambitious arts and culture plan for our city?

Engage African artists in Charles Sturt to create African murals to represent our stories. The last census showed that there is a high number of African people residing in Charles Sturt, so we need that represented.

We are investigating the historical link of Pioneer Australian Workers that travelled to Nuba Mountains in 1920, and South Australians who lived there in the 1950’s through to 1970s. We would like to share this history as people often do not know about this historical connection.

With advocacy support of Council, we would like to secure State and Federal funding to support us to organise a cultural festival that could start here and tour around the country. We could maybe present wrestling and traditional dance.

At a local community level, we would be interested in running more workshops for children, like our previous workshops to build a small clay African Village, and take it home.

Key Messages

Working across cultures and developing strong cultural partnerships will enhance our ability to resonate with, value and represent our diverse community.

Questions

How can we promote and support diverse cultural expression in the arts?

How can we broaden cultural expression to not only showcase art and culture of our many cultural groups but embed it within intercultural and cross-cultural arts projects and our community as a whole?

Marie Hagen

Henley and Grange Historical Society (H&GHS), recording, archiving and sharing the history of Henley and Grange

Surrounded by shelves of archived material and past copies of the societies many journals packed into the History room at the Henley Town Hall, I met with Marie Hagen, one of over 100 members of the Hindmarsh Historical Society and 20 active volunteers.

How and when was H&GHS created?

It began in 1979 and was started by a very active group of volunteers who were concerned at the loss of Henley and Grange’s history, the changes that were happening and the loss of the memories and stories of people that have passed on. Henley and Grange had been a very isolated community in regards to the way it was cut off from the rest of Adelaide because of the flood plains and the swamp lands, so it had developed its own distinct history and character. The society meet five times a year, with guest speakers on topics usually related to the Henley and Grange area but also wider historical topics. We also conduct guided walks explaining the history of the area. We have just developed an App which is a mobile walking tour and are in the process of expanding it to include Henley South and hope to add Grange in the future. We also write a journal every year, we are up to number 42 now. We have had a few publications, one is a chronological history of Henley and Grange and another is a compilation of the best of our journal articles. We have members doing research and answering general enquiries from the public and are in the process of creating a comprehensive database and building up our website.

How can we more effectively uncover, preserve and share our local history and stories, today and for future generations?

We would like to put many of our records on the library system so when people go to the local library they can access our information. We can’t do this ourselves, we need the help of a professional librarian. We would like to use more interactive tools that we could put on our website i.e. pin-points on a local map showing what was once there in juxtaposition of what is there now. http://henleyandgrangehistory.org.au

How do collections, like the one at H&GHS, contribute and express our cultural life?

Giving a sense of the spirit of a place, who has been here before and knowing the environmental impacts. We have our ‘old timers’ talk about how there used to be more sand hills and how they have been eroded or removed, how the water was fresher and cleaner, the strong community spirit fostered by a lot of Church groups, organisations and clubs, and more public transport that facilitated people coming together. The type of architecture that we had that was built for beachside living. Knowing about people who came here for their holidays because Henley was built to be a seaside resort.

What is the hope for H&GHS’s future?

We are trying our best to attract new members and to get the stories out there more. For example, how the older buildings are on the higher ground because further east it was swamp lands, and the River Torrens did not flow out the sea, it stopped near Tapleys Hill Road. To understand the geography and topography as well as the heritage of the area. As well as the strong history of arts, performance and literary heritage in the area. The history of the Kaurna people acknowledged.

What actions would you like to see included in an ambitious arts and culture plan for our city?

I would like the different uses of particular areas remembered. A good example would be Henley Square The circular building plaques which give a little bit of history could be used on other historic areas. If a modern structure is built it could reference what was there in its architecture or decoration. Norfolk Island Pines are seen by many as iconic, a symbol of a beachside suburb, so many were planted by local school children, perhaps share the stories about the trees, highlighting their longevity and beauty.

Key Messages

Our history and heritage add character and distinctiveness to our neighbourhoods and are fundamental in creating a ‘sense of place’ for our community.

Questions

How can Council creatively share the local history and heritage of our city and role could technology play?

How can Council work more collaboratively with Historical Societies and attract more volunteers to support their future?