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Dr Charlie Teo speaks out on racism

Listen to the key moments of the Dr Charlie Teo interview where he discusses some of his experiences being Australian.

thetelegraph.com.au18 January 2012

Dr Charles Teo says it’s wrong to deny that there’s racism in Australia. Source: Herald Sun

Dr Charles Teo, the son of Chinese immigrants, who prolonged the life of Jane McGrath and has saved the lives of hundreds of Australians, said it was wrong to deny there was racism.

At a launch of Australia Day Council celebrations yesterday, Dr Teo said that racism was still “very much alive in Australia”.

“I don’t quite like it when I hear politicians reassuring the Indians that there’s no racism in Australia. That’s bull—–,” he said.

What do you think of Prof Teo’s comments? Tell us below

Former premier Jeff Kennett, former Australian Medical Association president Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, singer Kamahl and ex-police commissioner Christine Nixon have all said that racism exists.

“My message to them is that Victoria has a very, very proud record of defending our multicultural base and promoting that multicultural community.

“We will not tolerate any form of discrimination.”

Dr Teo said his daughter had been a victim of racism.

“My daughter was just saying to me the other day, very sadly, she doesn’t like Australia Day because she has in the past dressed up, got into the spirit of things, put a sticker on her face, worn the green and gold and been told by drunk Australians to go home because she looks Chinese,” he said.

“That’s so sad, because you can’t get more Australian than my daughter.”

He knew of an Indian neurosurgeon who had come to Australia to study for three months who was spat on in the street and told to “go home”.

But Dr Teo, who holds the Order of Australia, said migrants also had a responsibility to integrate into Australian society.

Mr Kennett said that racism occurred among children, but he taught his own grandchildren to be tolerant of other races.

“I think there always will be elements of racism and it is often manifest itself in different ways,” he said.

Kamahl, who came to Australia from Sri Lanka in 1953, said: “Of course there are bad apples, people who are racist … Educated minds and educated hearts are required to stop racism.”

Melbourne was gripped by a wave of racist assaults on Indian students in 2009, which has been blamed for a drop in the number of students from that country enrolling here this year.

Dr Haikerwal, victim of a vicious bashing in 2008, said Australia was overall a welcoming society, but racism did exist.

He was in “the wrong place at the wrong time” when he was attacked, but Indian students were racist targets.

“Attacks shouldn’t happen against guests of our nation,” he said.

Former Victorian police commissioner Christine Nixon said all Australians had come from other countries.

“There is racism particularly against our own Aboriginal people and it always surprises me since we’ve all come from other places,” she said.

With Gemma Jones and Ashley Gardiner

drills@heraldsun.com.au

TERM 3: BRISBANE/ IPSWICH/ GOLD COAST/ SUNSHINE COAST

TERM 4: DARLING DOWNS/ ROMA/ ST GEORGE/ GRANITE BELT

Told in the style of Hip Hop theatre, this is the true story of Candy B: a NIDA trained actor and award winning rapper, born and raised in the suburbs by South African parents.

Underscored by a pumping sound track created by Candy’s real life sister the notorious Busty Beatz, the show traverses the highs and lows, blocks and flows of growing up brown with an afro and big dreams in Australia.

The piece begins in Africa and quickly becomes episodic in structure, as Candy’s life from Seena Bird Dance Academy at six years old, to drama school in her early 20’s and then her entry into the entertainment industry is broken up by her mother’s journey of migration.

Candy B’s mix of storytelling, video, music and comedy has attracted young audiences across the country. The themes of identity, culture, home and self-belief are at the heart of this connection. Her message is to celebrate the diversity of this wide brown land.

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
ENGLISH: Language (Language for interaction), Literature (Examining literature)
HISTORY: Historical Knowledge and Understanding
GENERAL CAPABILITIES: Intercultural understanding, Literacy, Ethical behavior

QSA SENIOR SYLLABI
DRAMA, MUSIC, ENGLISH

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS
THE ARTS (music, drama)
HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION (personal development)
SOSE (time, continuity and change, culture and identity) Respect

STYLE/FORM
Hip Hop, Storytelling, Comedy, Video

THEMES AND CONTEXTS
Diversity, Culture and ethnicity, Personal history and Racism

COST
$6 per student ($15 for families of three or more).
Minimum charge $600 + GST. Teachers and parents free.
Schools (under 100) that can’t raise the min. charge may be eligible for a Small Schools Subsidy.

BOOK NOW >

STAGING REQUIREMENTS

• An indoor venue that can be darkened guarantees a better performance.
• 7m wide x 7m deep and 2.5m high stage space.
• Power outlet.

Writer: Candy Bowers
Music: Busty Beatz
Performers: Candy B and Busty Beatz

Download the Melbourne Fringe Flyer PDF

Thought No. 1: The make up of people in my audiences changes my experience of performing the show.

The shows where it was all industry types, like opening night and the first week of stuff were really difficult. The nights that there have been family and other Artists from culturally diverse backgrounds it’s been a breeze- really fun and easy to pitch. There are a few different reasons for this that l can see: the first is that the show is written by a woman of colour for people of colour. The second is that the Sydney theatre scene is relatively white. So lets put this into an equation to break it down.

Me = Woman of colour.

My show = Written for an audience of colour.

The theatre industry that my show is part of = kinda white (by which I mean totally white with some exceptions)

Is this about Race? Yes, absolutely. But before any white, Sydney theatre-goers get offended (and remember, all my audience have a special place in my heart!) I want to say this isn’t about a disgruntled writer/director/actor, this is about my relationship with the audiences and what I’ve been experiencing.

Thought No. 2: White audiences are the outsiders in my show.

Hip-Hop music, South African culture, Lionel Richie and South Africa are my references – this means that the references, the music, the interaction the very form (not to mention the content) are new and not well understood. As a person of colour in Aussie land you always feel different and if you want to create anything on stage, print or screen there is a real pressure to ensure that the dominant culture will understand it. I think I’m reacting against that with this show. I’m exploring how to develop a show from my own perspective without being concerned about how a typical theatre audience might interpret it. As far as I’m concerned that is what independent theatre is great for… exploring new ideas and forms. I am interested in creativity, authenticity and telling my story without conforming in any way. I am not interested in sneaking around topics or sugar coating ideas in order for them to be easily digestible.

Thought No. 3: Audiences can have 2 out of 3 attributes.

Back to some math… there have been three types of audience members for me:

• those who love me and have an understanding of my experience (I love you guys!)
• those who love me but have little understanding of my experience (I love you guys too!)
• those who don’t love me and have little understanding of my experience (I even love you guys! You support new theatre, you’re awesome!)

It is very hard to perform my show to audiences that have no relationship to hip-hop culture or black culture in general (however you want to define that). A big part of my show is about making a political argument about the inherent white privilege which is part of Australia’s cultural industries, so audiences who disagree with me on that point might struggle with major parts of the production. The show is very political and very personal, it’s about race and culture but also acting-school and Lionel Richie… and it’s meant to be funny! What prompted these thoughts was the really different experiences I’ve had performing and how I think my audience had been interpreting it. More thoughts to come later so stay tuned.

Creative Sydney is a festival celebrating the wealth and diversity of the city’s creative talents from May 27- June 12. In its inaugural year, Creative Sydney will feature a provocative talks program and event series at the Museum of Contemporary Art and The Roxy, Paramatta, as well as the launch of Creative Catalysts – a list of Sydney’s creative pioneers.

So it seems that I’ve been selected to accelerate the creative chemical soup which is the Sydney arts scence. I can’t wait. More details on the Creative Sydney website.

I am currently working as the Youth Engagement Officer for Powerhouse Youth Theatre in Fairfield and connecting with young people across the West (including Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Campbelltown). I want to get 60 kids into the show (that’s just one full house). That means we need 20 patrons!

Maybe you’re an organisation, a business or just someone who has some spare Kevin money but we need your help. Each patron will be featured on the website (unless you don’t want to be) and receive a special thank you poster signed by the cast and crew.

To become a patron get in touch with our Producer, Saskia:

• mobile 0400 534 362
• email heyladyproductions@gmail.com

This will be the century of the city. For the first time, over half the world’s population now live in cities. In East Asia alone, the World Bank estimates that another 2,000,000 people are living in cities every month. This presents a big challenge for policy-makers and urban dwellers everywhere. Put simply: how do we ensure that our cities develop into diverse, creative and entrepreneurial environments where global citizens can thrive

Here’s a link to the PDF report.

Candy tries out a costume

The Who’s That Chik team has been creating and rehearsing intensly leading up to opening night at the Old Fitz on 8 May. Check out some behind-the-scenes pics after the jump.

Photos

You can also click here to get email updates. You’ll only recieve updates about the show and we won’t be playing spam shenanigans with your address, we promise. (Image by Cordia1000)