Mitch, an inspiring Arrernte/Luritja author, poet and artist, and an important voice against the NT Intervention, together with Sam Watson, well-known Aboriginal activist, Brisbane community activist and Socialist Alliance national spokesperson on Indigenous rights, will feature on a panel titled "From Invasion to Intervention: Indigenous Australians speak out".
The discussion will be held on Saturday April 11, 3.30pm, as part of the "World At A Crossroads: Fighting for Socialism in the 21st Century" conference, Sydney Girls High, April 10-12 (Easter weekend).
Mitch is from the Engawala community (Harts Range, east of Alice Springs) and has been leading the fight against the federal radioactive waste dump proposal for her country.
Watson was a involved in the struggle around the death in police custody of Mulrunji Doomadgee. As the deputy director of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Study Centre at the University of Queensland, Watson lectures in Indigenous Australian literature. He was also a Socialist Alliance candidate in the recent Queensland state elections.
New international speakers confirmed to attend include:
•Human rights advocate, Professor Raul Molina-Mejia, who was coordinator of the National University of Guatemala's Truth Commission (1998-99) and an adviser to human rights organisations in Central America.
•Aristides Gonzalez, Ismael Alvarado and Rafael Pacheco, activists from the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) in Australia, speaking about the recent victory of the left in El Salvador and future prospects of the FMLN government.
•Mericio Juvinal Dos Reis (Akara), current executive director of the Luta Hamutuk Institute in East Timor and former political prisoner for his pro-independence activism.
The conference is being hosted by Green Left Weekly, and organised by Democratic Socialist Perspective and Resistance, affiliates of Socialist Alliance. Visit