JAMES GIUGNI made the front page of the December 21 Sydney Morning
Herald after a creative writing response in his final English exam,
dealing with the frustration of a detained refugee, almost resulted in
him not gaining his Higher School Certificate. Resistance activist AMY
PARISH spoke to Giugni about refugees and mandatory detention.
Asked to write a “revenge tragedy”, Giugni devised a passionate and
politically driven story of a detained refugee, who having faced the trauma
of Villawood detention centre, plots to assassinate Prime Minister John
Howard.
The board of studies issued a letter to Giugni in early December, informing
him that due to the “offensive nature” of his piece he was to receive zero
for that exam. If not for the support of his teacher and his lawyer father,
who were successful in having his exam reviewed, he would have been deemed
ineligible for the award of a HSC.
Giugni’s story illustrates not only the conservative and censored nature
of the Australian education system, but just how passionately young people
feel about the refugee issue.
Giugni explained that he believes mandatory detention is akin to the
treatment of African-American slaves. He wondered if generations to come
will look back on the treatment of asylum seekers as we now look back on
US slavery.
The letter Guigni received accused him of making a “non-serious attempt”
at the examination. He responded, explaining that his tale was influenced
by a visit to Villawood and Cyril Tourneur’s Revenger’s Tragedy.
The board told Guigni the action was being dropped, however, after receiving
letters from father and his teacher, who wrote: “Given the first-hand suffering
that James has observed in Villawood, I don’t doubt that his character
would have been searingly passionate in his lust for revenge.”
Guingi told the SMH: “It seems like they listen more to an articulate
English teacher or a well-educated father rather than the student in question.
That is what makes me worry about a student with a dispassionate English
teacher or without a parent with legal knowledge.”
Giugni told Green Left Weekly that most of his friends had learnt
to “appreciate” his stance, once they knew the facts. “Anyone who is open
minded to any degree should be able to see how primeval and inhumane this
policy is”, he said.
It is the lack of information in the mainstream press which Giugni believes
is preventing most Australians from sympathising with, and getting active
around, the refugees’ cause.
“Howard is a genius at making rednecks”, he argued. “Australians get
this conviction that they know everything, and Howard stirs this. The facts
and figures need to be made public knowledge so people can really make
up their minds.”
The mainstream press has claimed that the new year fires in detention
centres will dampen people’s sympathy for refugees.
From his knowledge of Villawood, Giugni pointed out that the section
of the camp that the fire there started in is inaccessible to imprisoned
asylum seekers. Several of the other fires at detention centres appear
to have been started by electrical faults, combined with poor fire management
and searingly hot conditions.
Giugni said he understood why, however, detainees would resort to desperate
actions. As a regular visitor to Villawood, Giugni pointed out that intense
anxiety and mental problems, reflecting the conditions in which detainees
are kept, as well as uncertainty about their future, is responsible for
refugees' frustration and anger.
Giugni is confident that as people become more educated about the issue,
pro-refugee sentiment will build and we will be able to change Howard's
policy.
From Green Left Weekly, January 22, 2003.
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