Connecting to First Peoples through language
Around 350 languages are spoken in homes across Australia, yet we see ourselves as an English-speaking country. And we tend to understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures primarily through English and Western concepts.
Let’s challenge this dominance of English.
My Language My Country is a six-part series that asks what changes when we approach Country through the many languages we speak.
Why is English dominance a problem? How are cultural ideas and concepts embedded in language? And what does embracing multilingualism look and sound like? Why is it important for migrants and new settlers to support First Nations language revival?
We explore how people are engaging with First Nations ways of being, building solidarities, and imagining what ethical belonging might look like.
My Language My Country was produced on the Lands of the Gadigal People, the Cammeraygal People, the Darug People, and the Guringai People.
This series is hosted by Dr Elaine Laforteza and created by the UTS Multicultural Women’s Network, with production by Masako Fukui.
Special thanks to An Le, Lucie Vayriot, Leah Subijano, Melissa May, Tiffany Dimmack, Claudia Taranto, and Jane Curtis and Sarah Gilbert of UTS Impact Studios. Tile design by Alex Morris.
My Language My Country is the first season of UTS Impact Studios’ Change the Story podcast.
Learn more
This podcast sits within the broader Acknowledging Country in our Mother Languages project, featuring an audio library of Acknowledgments in 40+ languages, as well as videos and stories highlighting why this practice matters.