Tribute to Aboriginal’s voice of protest
A DOCUMENTARY on William Cooper, the Aboriginal who protested over the persecution of the Jews on Kristallnacht, will be broadcast on the weekend.
AJN STAFF
IN late 1938 an elderly Aboriginal man named William Cooper delivered a letter of protest to the German consulate in Melbourne over the persecution of the Jews on Kristallnacht.
He was one of very few voices of protest -— nationally and internationally — against the rise of Nazism.
A documentary program about William Cooper (1861—1941) and his passionate advocacy for human rights titled One Blood will be broadcast during ABC Radio National’s Awaye! program on December 5 at 6pm.
Freelance producer Jessica Noske-Turner has produced the documentary after being inspired by the spirit and humanity of Cooper, who lived at Cummeragunga, the former Aboriginal mission station on the Murray River in Victoria.
The documentary will include readings from Cooper’s letter, as well as a journey back to his final resting place, the cemetery at Cummeragunga and a recording of a ceremony in the Forest of Martyrs in Israel, where trees were planted in his memory.
Awaye! is produced and presented by Aboriginal broadcasters and is Australia’s only national indigenous arts and culture program.
More information on Cooper is available from the Awaye! website at abc.net.au/rn/awaye
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