Reading Samson and Delilah - Letter from Australia

Download Reading Samson and Delilah Podcast for .99c

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Djalu Heals the World (Feb 2009)

Credibility (June 2008)

Two Up (April 2008)

Weather & Seasons (March 2008)

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Reading Samson and Delilah

For Kevin Fong, Stephen "Bamba" Albert and for Benson Dickerson and Wesley Dhurrkay

Warwick Thornton’s Samson and Delilah begins with Charlie Pride’s Sunshiney Day:
"… In my heart its gonna be a sunshiny day… when you got a love like ours every day is gonna be a Sunshiny Day." 
Samson wakes in his furniture-less concrete room and takes another sniff of his cut-off, baked bean
can full of petrol. Welcome to another "sunshiney day" in Jay Creek...
Also see Australian Prospect 9 - Investing in Solutions that work for 
Young Indigenous Australians and if you would like to make a direct connection
with Aboriginal businesses and social and cultural enterprises 
go to www.isx.org.au

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A response to this month's letter from Damian Howard

Samson had a hearing loss

 

Hearing loss is widespread in Indigenous communities because poor living conditions of the type portrayed in Samson and Delilah. There are clear indications that Samson had a hearing loss. At one stage he covers each of his ears and shows that he hears differently out of each ear. Later when awful things happen behind him out on a noisy street he is not aware of them. Many reviewers have noted there is little dialogue between the main actors. Samson only says one word and the way he says that word shows he has speech problems. Many Aboriginal children who have had hearing problems growing up also have speech problems. 

 

The social problems Samson  has are typical of many Aboriginal youths with hearing loss. He experiences social rejection which appears to contribute to an anti-social outburst. Research has suggested that hearing loss may be common among children who sniff petrol. When Samson leaves his home community and goes to Alice Springs he is highly dependent on Delilah. It is Delilah acts to manage communication with authorities and people in their home community. Indigenous people with hearing loss frequently rely on family members or partners to help with communication with unfamiliar non Aboriginal people.

 

There are many things that contribute to the overall disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal people and hearing loss is one of these. Most people seeing the movie would not think that Samson may have had a hearing loss. It would seem for Samson, as in real life for so many Indigenous youth, hearing loss is an important but invisible factor in the story of disadvantage they experience.

 

 

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Music List
Andrew Baylor, "Strange Land", The Bush is Full
of Ghosts 1993-1996. For this and more music by Andrew go to
http://www.andybaylor.com.au
Warren H. Williams, "What A Night (This would
be)", Where my Heart Is. For this and more music go to
http://www.emusic.com/album/Warren-H-Williams-Where-My-Heart-Is-MP3-Download/10857935.html
Warren H. Williams, "Learn My Song", Be Lke Home. For this and more music go to
http://warrenhwilliams.com/store/be-like-home/
Warren H. Williams, "Free People", Places in
Between. For this and more music go to
http://warrenhwilliams.com/store/places-in-between/
Warren H. Williams, "Diamonds", (Chris Rea), Be
Like Home. For this and more music go to http://warrenhwilliams.com/store/be-like-home/

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Warren H. Williams
Singer/Songwriter Warren H Williams has become one of the most loved indigenous identities on the Australian music scene. 
Warren is a proud Arrente Man, Territorian and Australian.
Warren H Williams is a regular broadcaster on CAAMA Radio
where he plays all his favourite country tunes and supports many of the newer
artists of all musical genres in the area.
He is in high demand for his guitar skills and can often
be seen helping out on stage, in recording studios or penning songs for his
many friends and talented family in the music industry in the Northern Territory.