La mia carissima amica Liddy mi manda questo messaggio che voglio subito condividere:
"Today is a great day for us in Australia – it is the day when the government at last says sorry to the Aborigines for all the pain and suffering caused by the practice of ‘stolen children’ for generations in the recent past."
E’ un giorno importante per la riconciliazione e il riconoscimento del valore delle diverse culture e chiede scusa di un’infamia come l’aver sottratto i bambini alle famiglie aborigene per "civilizzarli".
Sul sito della ABC c’è il live della cerimonia e molte altre informazioni. Qui il testo delle scuse ufficiali del Primo Ministro Kevin Rudd sottoposte al Parlamento. Molto bello. Per incoraggiarvi a leggerlo lo metto nel seguito del post.
February 12, 2008
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s apology motion has been tabled in Parliament:
Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.
We reflect on their past mistreatment.
We
reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen
Generations – this blemished chapter in our nation’s history.
The
time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia’s
history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with
confidence to the future.
We apologise for the laws and
policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted
profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.
We
apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander children from their families, their communities and their
country.
For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen
Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we
say sorry.
To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.
And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.
We
the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be
received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of
the nation.
For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.
We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.
A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.
A
future where we harness the determination of all Australians,
Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in
life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.
A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.
A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.
A
future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal
partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping
the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia.