“Manuwangku, Under the Nuclear Cloud”
Photographic exhibition orgnised by Natalie Wasley
WILPF Australian Section has contributed toward this exhibition highliting the issues for the NT Muckaty community which are facing a nuclear waste dump on their land. Make sure you promote and get to see this exhibition or it or plan for it to come to your State.
“Manuwangku, Under the Nuclear Cloud” is a photographic exhibition presenting the community and country in the Northern Territory targeted to host a federal radioactive waste dump. The photos aim to break down the conception that these areas are ‘the middle of nowhere’ and thus suitable for dumping of hazardous materials. The exhibition is expected to travel to many cities and communities commencing from Sydney.
Funds have been rasied for production of the exhibition catalogue, which will be an important resource to send around Australia and the world to tell the story of the community struggling against imposition of the radioactive waste dump. We also aim to support Muckaty Traditional Owners to travel and speak at the opening of the exhibition in Sydney, being held at the Pine Street Gallery on January 17, 2012.
Photographer Jagath Dheerasekara (http://jd.photoshelter.com/) is of political refugee background from Sri Lanka and specialises in social documentary and social justice reportage. Jagath received the Amnesty International Human Rights Innovation Grant 2010 to begin work on this exhibition and was a finalist in the prestigious Bowness Photography Prize 2011 with one of the images.
The exhibition is a collaborative project with the Beyond Nuclear Initiative (BNI) (www.beyondnuclearinitiative.com) and the Muckaty Traditional Owners featured in the photographs.BNI is a not for profit project hosted by the Arid Lands Environment Centre in Alice Springs. The projects seeks to highlight the adverse impact of the nuclear industry in Australia and promote a nuclear free future.
This exhibition is supported by WILPF, Amnesty International, Jumbunna Indigenous house of Learning (UTS), Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR), Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (University of Sydney) and the Australian Conservation Foundation.
Jagath and the Beyond Nuclear Initiative coordinator reside in Sydney, but undertake regular trips to the Northern Territory to meet and work with the affected community.
We will utilise social media and established campaign networks to build awareness and raise the profile of the exhibition nationally. The campaign opposing the Northern Territory waste dump plan has been active across Australia for six years and has strong connections with a variety of social justice, health, environment and human rights groups.
View “Muckaty Voices, a short film made byBNIin 2010 about the community and campaign, which has screened at many international film festivals and conferences: Watch this amazing hip hop track by young Muckaty Traditional Owner Kylie Sambo:
More information can be found at www.beyondnuclearinitiative.com