|
Wednesday, 14 March 2007 |
Ademonstration of
support for Aboriginal
heritage took place on
February 2 in the Pech Merle
caves, in the Lot, organised by
the Comité Départemental de
Spéléologie du Lot, and in the
Dolmen de Planagrèze, Caniac
du Causse.
The issue has arisen
because the Australian
government has refused to
register a huge rock-art site on
the Burrup peninsula as a
heritage site, allowing the oil
group Woodside to extend
its activities instead.
The Burrup is sacred land
to the Aborigines, and shelters
between 500,000 and one
million rock carvings up to
30,000 years old. The
destruction of these would
be an ecological and cultural disaster.
The Australian association The Friends
of the Australian Rock Art (FARA) is
fighting to prevent the destruction of the
Burrup and is organising international
action to pressurise the Australian
government. Fanny Vignals, an artist and
representative of FARA in France, told
French News: “The site is like the Vatican
for the Christians. It is a sacred place.”
Bertrand Defois, a spokesperson for
the Centre de Préhistoire du Pech Merle,
said the centre was supporting the action
because its members are “against the
damage caused to these types of remains.
We did the same for carvings in Portugal.
It is cultural and thematic solidarity.
Aborigines also have an ethnographic
importance, they helped give people a new
approach to their prehistory.
“It is more on the principle of
the matter that the protests are
being organised. The Australian
government won’t change its mind
because there are billions of dollars behind
the project and the area is
virtually a desert.
“A letter was sent in December to the
Australian government to try and find a
solution. The reply came back that the
project will go ahead anyway.”
“We are not expecting them to change
their mind, that is not realistic,” agrees
Vignals. “But we hope they will install
their infrastructure without damaging the
rock art. History should be preserved
because it helps us to understand who
we are.”
FARA is still looking for associations
or individuals who would like to organise
demonstrations on other sites linked to
Prehistory and in other world capitals.
Actions have already taken place in Paris
in front of the Eiffel tower, in Australia
and Germany.
Spain, England and Brazil are on the
list for the next demonstrations.
Demonstrations are also going ahead in
Paris on February 25, and in the Lascaux
caves of the Dordogne on March 3.
There needs to be a minimum of 15
people at each demonstration, enough to
spell out the slogan “Stand up for the
Burrup” on their T-shirts. When all the
pictures are gathered, they will be sent to
the Australian government as proof of
international opposition.
www.standupfortheburrup.com
|
