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Aboriginal musicians leading push to change date of Australia Day

Xinhua, January 27, 2017 Adjust font size:

Indigenous Australian musicians are leading a strong push for the nation's government to consider changing the date of Australia Day, which is traditionally held on Jan. 26 each year.

The national day is held on Jan. 26 to signify the first fleet's landing at Botany Bay in 1788, however, the day is referred to as Invasion Day to many indigenous Australians as it signifies the beginning of the European settlement and genocide of the traditional landholders.

Indigenous and other Australian musicians in 2016 began a "Change the Date" campaign, aimed at raising awareness of the issue many Aboriginal Australians have with the date, and one song, "January 26" by hip hop collective A.B. Original made it to the top 20 in the annual "Hottest 100" countdown of the previous year's biggest songs.

Ollie Wards, content director of radio station Triple J which hosts the Hottest 100, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) it was obvious that Australians were starting to take note and were in support of the idea of "changing the date" from Jan. 26.

"For any song to get that high, it takes a lot of votes. You could say the people who voted for it were doing it because they support the message of the track," he said.

Dan Rankine, aka Trials from A.B. Original, said Australians were beginning to appreciate the hardships that Indigenous Australians faced once European settlers arrived, and said he and fellow singer Adam Briggs were happy to spread awareness and back a campaign to change the date.

"Change doesn't come from people being comfortable and complacent. If that means we're the guys being a little uncomfortable being up there and sharing our message then we're prepared for that," Rankine said.

Briggs said by moving the date from Jan. 26, Australians of all backgrounds can celebrate what a great nation Australia has become, without the sadness attached to the current national day for Aboriginal Australians.

"What we're all striving for, regardless of our points of view, is to move forward," he told the ABC. Endite