We Will Be Heard: A Conversation on Culture

Tinomuda Mahowa and Wasa Ali are two of the youth organisers behind the historic Black Lives Matter march held in Wellington on June 14th.

Tinomuda leading the Black Lives Matter March down Lambton Quay.

Being a minority in Aotearoa is a voyage many have had to navigate, well before the internet and information era we find ourselves in today.

I often wondered, how?

How did the older generations deal with the covert racism that plagues New Zealand? How did they cope with having to coexist with such a Disney Channel, bright-eyed, smiley-faced oppressor?

The answer is in Silence.

White New Zealand has cast upon the minorities here, the delusion that we cannot speak up about the issues weighing down on us. 

There is a delusion that the Minorities in New Zealand don’t suffer from a great deal of prejudice and discrimination from institutions allegedly designed to aid our lives such as the New Zealand Police force or the bruised appendages we call our education systems.

Alas

With a new generation comes new coping mechanisms. And to the ruin of the old, white, and stuck, our coping mechanism is found on the other side of the coin.

We Speak and we Speak Loud 

Your microaggressions, your twisting of history, and your overtly biased government practices will no longer be met with silence, but with a wall of voices, 20,000 of them to
be precise.

These voices are here to stay, not only until you change
your practices, but change your hearts.

Tinomuda Mahowa

A Conversation With Wasa

What was it like being in front of that crowd on that Sunday morning?

Maaaaan! The feeling was so surreal and I was taken aback seeing that number of people in one location.

As the day approached, I was so optimistic that hella people would appear. But to have 20,000 people of all ages, colours & backgrounds unified for a significant cause was more than any of us expected. 

On the day, I distracted myself from looking at the crowd by setting up the wires for the sound.  But as soon as I looked behind me, I couldn’t help but think about the scene from Lord of the rings when they are on the hill and the enemy is like “ DAAAAAYM WE FIGHTING DAT LMAO”.  

After the event, I was high on adrenaline for another 24 hours. 

What does the Banner BLACK LIVES MATTER mean to you?

The name isn’t what appeals to me. But the cause & significance of standing for something bigger than myself.  It’s life-giving, it’s full of purpose and it's enough fuel to keep me going. 

I see people being impacted, people changing their perspective, and even getting rid of the inner racism that has been instilled upon them from birth.

The Marathon Continues.

Thousands gather on Parliament grounds.