For much of our nation’s post-white settlement history, the voices of Indigenous Australians have been largely missing from the story of who we are and where we’ve come from. This omission is all the more tragic because of the rich history of storytelling that exists in Indigenous culture.
For nearly 20 years, Rhianna Patrick was one of the leading Indigenous voices on the ABC, documenting the experience of our First Nations communities on programs like AWAYE! and Speaking Out. But the responsibility of carrying these stories and working in a mainstream media landscape built on colonisation took a heavy toll and she left the ABC in 2020.
In this episode, Rhianna talks to host Ben Hart about the differences in the way Indigenous Australians approach stories, and what non-Indigenous storytellers can learn from the care and respect that sits at the heart of this approach (Hint: things might take a bit longer, but the payoff is huge).
Rhianna also talks about her new role at Australia’s only 100 per cent Indigenous owned and operated media organisation Indigenous X, why there’s a growing interest in stories from a First Nations perspective and why mainstream media organisations need to do more than just increase the headcount of Indigenous journalists in their newsrooms.
Looking for more on the art, craft and science of storytelling? Check out our sister website The Story. Follow The Story on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.