Media Release
Sydney, 25 June 2011 – the Land and Environment Court upheld the Blue Mountains council decision for Vesna Tenodi, the ModroGorje gallery owner, to remove the “Wanjina Watchers in the Whispering Stone” sculpture from her front lawn, because the image on the stone is upsetting for some Aborigines.
Ms Tenodi said that the shameful conduct of the local bureaucrats driven by political-correctness-gone-mad and white-guilt syndrome, “under instruction” by a group of Aborigines who are spiritually insensitive to their own gods, led to this Pyrrhic victory for Aboriginal people:
“The council used the planning law and the house heritage listing and the ‘stone’s visual prominence’ as an excuse to basically enforce censorship. This is a worrying outcome for every artist and free thinker in Australia.
“The Arts Law Centre, that is supposed to protect the rights of all artists in Australia, seems to represent only Aboriginal artists. In total contempt for Australian law as it stands, they advocate for censorship and are now encouraging people to manipulate other laws, such as planning laws, to enforce some non-existent law, in line with Aboriginal traditional lore. They want the end of democratic rights, freedom of speech and freedom of artistic expression for any non-Aboriginal artist in Australia, and keep encouraging antagonism, violence and division in our society.
“I am a medium and a white dreamer, and the Wanjinas speak to me. It is truly tragic that Aboriginal people cannot understand what this means, and keep offending and disrespecting their own gods, ignoring the Wanjinas’ wishes. The gods are now furious, but unfortunately Aborigines cannot see it, and cannot understand the damage their behaviour is causing to people of the Blue Mountains. They don’t realise what great opportunity they have lost by their shameful, violent behaviour.
“Aboriginal people owe me and my artists an apology for all the damage they have caused us – attacking us with the racist remarks and false accusations, and slandering us with utter disregard for other people’s rights and beliefs. Wanjina Watchers in the Whispering Stone sculpture was vandalised in March 2010. On top of violence and death threats by a handful of local Aboriginal thugs, who claim to be acting on orders from the Kimberley, they have been running a campaign of hate, using “anger” as an excuse, with slanderous and defamatory rants and outright lies. They are constantly in a state of rage, as the Aboriginal elder Goomblar Wylo said in the “Dreamtime Set in Stone”, because it suits them. So they choose to be offended.
“But what is even more appalling is the lies and false accusations by the morally bankrupt local bureaucrats. When the Wanjina Watchers in the Whispering Stone sculpture was vandalised and our house repeatedly trashed, one of the councillors said that “he cannot speak out against violence and vandalism, because he is in support of Aboriginal people”. This sends a very dangerous message: he is in effect saying that violence and vandalism are okay, if done by Aborigines. It gives any thug a perfect formula – all they need to do is claim they are Aboriginal and they are offended, and in the eyes of white-guilt-ridden bureaucrats that justifies their bad behaviour. The Blue Mountains council should be renamed the Sanhedrin (the governing council and court that tried and crucified Jesus), that’s exactly what this feels like. We seem to be caught in the middle of a witch hunt, surrounded by a lynch mob, with hypocrites applauding the bad guys.
“I am very concerned for my own and our artists’ safety. But even more than that, I am very concerned for the Aboriginal people. All their negativity, anger and hatred are soul-destroying and self-destructive. They need to quit the abuse and learn that there is no copyright on prehistoric Australian art. Every artist has the right to be inspired by the same imagery they find inspiring. Aborigines never created the original prehistoric rock paintings, but appropriated them from an earlier time.
“During the land court hearing, one of our supporters said that these tactics, harassment of artists and denial of freedom of expression remind her of the communist regime from which she escaped, only to find it again here in our so-called democracy, under the guise of political correctness.
The SkyGod said that – in order to heal the wounded Aboriginal psyche, and to open a way towards true reconciliation – the Aboriginal people should organise a Forgiveness Day, as a response to our Sorry Day, and start participating in the life of Australian society.”