Dear Rappers
When I was writing THE BINNA BINNA MAN, I was aware that there are three levels to the way it can be read.
On the surface, the story is about an Aboriginal boy from North Queensland travelling back to the country of his mother's people. This makes it an Aboriginal story.
On another level, the story is about a boy, travelling with family who face a tragedy in their lives. His faith in himself, who he is, and where he wants to be going is tested in a number of ways. People of all different backgrounds, hopefully boys and girls, can relate to this story.
And there is another level to the story. It is the spiritual level if you like. It is the story of a boy who has found a strength in himself, his own voice, his girragundji. But when he is faced with a new set of circumstances up at Yarrie, with his cousin Shandelle, he loses faith in that inner voice, that strength within. For a while he wants to be someone else, like everyone else around him. It is only when he faces the Binna Binna man and fears for his life and his cousin's, that he has no other choice than to listen to that inner voice, to be who he really is. The story finishes with him listening to his own voice again. This spiritual story could relate to anyone of any age.
Boori and I often say of the books that we have written together that we like them to be read as stories that have truths for whoever you are, whatever your culture. In our minds, the context is Aboriginal - the boy and his family are Aboriginal - but the story, hopefully, is universal.
Best wishes with the rapping.
Meme
