Welcome?

In this series, we talk about the difficult work of relationships between colonised, coloniser, and the many in-between categories, in three different contexts: Australia, Papua New Guinea and Kenya. We tell stories from our work as academic researchers, stories about real people in real places.

In the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri lands where we live and work, in Naarm (Melbourne), you often see the phrase ‘Wominjeka/Womindjeka’ used in public places and at public events. It’s usually translated into English as ‘welcome’. At Welcome to Country ceremonies, though, Elders teach that it means more than that. They teach us that it’s a call to ethical relationship — with people, land, and with the future — that might be better translated as ‘come with purpose’, or ‘state your intention’.

In this podcast, we ask the questions: who is welcome? Who does the welcoming? And on what and whose terms? And, of course, who is not welcome?

That question mark after ‘welcome’ in our title – it’s intentional.

Our stories help us explore different waysof accepting a welcome, offering one, or being alert to being unwelcome, and what we can do with such a situation.

We invite you to join us as we try to work out what that question mark after ‘welcome’ might mean for us, and for you.