In this recorded conversation, Tasnim and Florence shared the inspiration behind the idea of developing a children’s picture book together. They were joined by special guest Hunhak Matt Gale and unpacked interconnected themes that derive from their personal and cultural experience as diaspora activists, in so called Australia. Bringing together common themes across their work, valuing the role of education in resisting colonialism and building solidarity with First Nations people in their decolonial struggle. Florence and Tasnim spoke to how they are illustrating a narrative that unsettles usual multiculturalist children’s literature.

Tasnim and Florence’s children’s’ book follows two young friends, a Samoan girl and a Palestinian boy, Atonia and Tariq, at their local diverse, low-SES public school as they study and engage with a Grade One unit on land and place. Florence and Tasnim bring forth the hope that in representing an ‘Australia’, not through white relations but through encounter in POC children’s friendship and with First Nations knowledge at school, they can prompt the imagining of alternative ways of conceiving belonging for diaspora children.

Intergen: Tasnim Sammak and Folole Tupuola on creating a Children’s Picture Book

Hear from Arts Gen's Creative Producer (Evaluation and Programs) Bruno Catalán! 

This is the first in a series interviews with the Arts Gen team.

Bruno Catalán is a Chilean arts worker and researcher based in Naarm/Melbourne. He has spent the last ten years straddling the fields of social inclusion, community development and the creative arts. Since 2017 he has engaged with communities of all walks of life through cultural, educational and environmental projects in Australia. Bruno currently works supporting Arts Gen projects and is a festival programmer for the Environmental Film Festival Australia (EFFA)

Staff Profile: Bruno Catalán

One Day, Altogether
We can create, happiness
Nevertheless the problems
We gonna move forward
Freedom is our option.
Written and performed by Panomax, BAK, Lomar J, Malok, Shawtee, Terbizzy, Zach, Gabs. Recorded by Motley Produced by Enity

One Day

Arts Gen is a space for learning, sharing and artmaking based at Footscray Community Arts Centre in Melbourne’s inner west.

Through socially engaged creative practice, we promote self-representation and platforms that support the creative potential of communities from Melbourne’s West and North.

Our work aims to address the social and cultural determinants of health, including ongoing colonisation, racism and other forms of structural discrimination have direct negative impacts on wellbeing.

We believe that when communities have the power and access to the arts, to develop and determine health and wellbeing initiatives, it leads to truly representative culture making.

https://artsgen.org/