The Power of Speech

I couldn't get more than a handful of locals to attend my presentation at the local Lions club on my school in Ghana. 

Other organisations I have approached have shown little or no interest. 

About 70 people attended an event last night at West Beach Surf-Life - saving club to raise awareness  about the plight of recent arrivals to Australia. Most were migrants or refugees.

But there were some locals-mostly partners of same or the organisers

A very moving speech was made by an indigenous elder in which he repeatedly  welcomed  the guests to Australia. He also said he could understand how refugees felt-because indigenous people too had been locked up in detention centres and made to feel unwelcome when the English 'invaded' in 1788.

The audience grew quiet. He continued saying that there was still a long way to go until reconciliation between white and indigenous Australians but that there were good "cree-cree" whites a number of whom he counted as friends. 

You could have heard a pin drop.

Slowly... everyone stood up and acknowledged the speech.  I was quite close to the elder-he was sitting  in his seat crying.

I have never seen this before  in Australia-it was a very powerful moment.

'Moved' though they were, the tragedy is that many of these locals will probably vote to 'Stop the Boats' at the next Election

I can not comprehend all of this other than to state the obvious-that the democratic system in Australia is broken.

If you can explain it in any other way please get back to me

To retain my sanity here I need an answer

The power of speech.

I wish I had it.