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Reclaiming the page with First Nations classics
Reclaiming the page with First Nations classics

ABC News

time26-07-2025

  • Entertainment
  • ABC News

Reclaiming the page with First Nations classics

Under the thoughtful guidance of editor Yasmin Smith, UQP has unveiled its third collection of First Nations classics, repositioning First Nations stories at the heart of Australian literature. Together with author Tara June Winch, Yasmin reflects on the seminal works that make up the collection, including Tara's own Swallow the Air. Then Larrakia artist Jenna Mayilema Lee transforms immigration documents — once tools of control — into profound spaces for healing and cultural connection for the National Art School's exhibition Neighbour at the Gate. Plus Kurrama Elder Joan Ashburton shares her final word for Word Up.

Hindu nationalist Ram Madhav urges Indian South Africans to deepen ties with world's largest emerging economy
Hindu nationalist Ram Madhav urges Indian South Africans to deepen ties with world's largest emerging economy

Mail & Guardian

time30-06-2025

  • Politics
  • Mail & Guardian

Hindu nationalist Ram Madhav urges Indian South Africans to deepen ties with world's largest emerging economy

The former general secretary of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Ram Madhav, has called on South Africans of Indian descent to strengthen interaction with those in their ancestral country. (@indiainjoburg/X) The former general secretary of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Ram Madhav, has called on South Africans of Indian descent to strengthen interaction with those in their ancestral country as it seeks to carve out a dominant role in geopolitics. Madhav told a forum at the Indian consulate on Friday that his country offers a foreign policy outlook based on 'tradition, technology, trade and trust' as the fastest major emerging market. His visit, he said, was an opportunity to spread the message that the Indian diaspora should view the country of their birth as their own land while not forgetting their ancestral homeland. 'Wherever you are, that is your 'swadeś', your land of duty. Be proud citizens of that country, but remain connected to your 'mātṛbhūmi' — your land of ancestry,' he said. Citing historical links between Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, Madhav reminded the audience of the moral kinship between India and South Africa as two democracies which have emerged from oppression to resistance. Regarded as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambassador at large, Madhav serves as a president of the India Foundation and is a national executive member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organisation. Madhav touted India's ambition to play a greater role in global affairs as the world's fastest growing major economy and home to 1.4 billion people. Drawing from its presidency of the G20 in 2023, and the BJP's coalition governance with minority parties, Madhav said India would be a strategic and experienced partner for South Africa, which holds the current G20 presidency and has been governed by a coalition of 10 parties since last year's general elections. He said India had played a critical role in the inclusion of the during its 2023 presidency. India is South Africa's sixth-largest trading partner and the second largest within the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) bloc. By March this year, South Africa had President Cyril Ramaphosa held talks with Modi on the sidelines of the In his book, New World Order: 21st Global Order and India , Madhav argues for India to assert its development framework and to play a bigger role in the evolving geopolitics brought on by the trade war between China and the US. He has been criticised for his outspoken support of Hindu nationalism through his roles in the right-wing RSS and the BJP party — which have both backed controversial policies, including the revocation of the special status of the region of Kashmir, and have been accused of marginalising India's Muslim population. Critics argue that Madhav's ideological position promotes a Hindu majoritarian vision of India that sidelines religious and ethnic minorities. They also say this view extends beyond India's borders, fuelling ambitions to absorb neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh into a greater India. On Friday Madhav acknowledged that, despite shared legacy with South Africa, the two countries' diplomatic relationship had not developed as much as it could have. 'Beyond those historical memories between Gandhi and Mandela, the relationship hasn't grown to its full potential. But now, with the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and your president here, there is a determined effort to deepen the relationship,' he said. He said the Indian diaspora played a vital role as a third pillar of diplomacy beyond government-to-government and business-to-business engagement. 'You are the real ambassadors,' he told the audience. 'People-to-people engagement must be driven by the community. Prime Minister Modi made this a cornerstone of foreign policy over the last decade.' 'We should always be thinking about how to bring these two lands — of our ancestors and of our livelihoods — closer together,' he added, saying this was in line with India's foreign policy of 'vasudhaiva kutumbakam' — the idea that the world is one family. 'Governments can sign MoUs (memorandums of understanding) and companies can trade goods, but it's people who sustain relationships,' he said. 'People-to-people ties are the foundation of lasting cooperation.' Madhav's visit comes ahead of Modi's upcoming tour of Africa and Latin America, which includes stops in Ghana, Namibia, Trinidad and Tobago and Argentina. Modi's tour will culminate in the 17th Brics summit in Brazil, scheduled for 6 and 7 July.

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