This is an Aboriginal man sitting on the ground with his back to a shop wall in a packed Queen St. Mall, Brisbane, where he regularly entertains passers-by playing the didgeridoo and will gratefully accept any few dollars that happen to come his way. We got into conversation, and when he learned I was Irish, he invited me to sit, and we had a very interesting and lengthy conversation about British colonialism and its impact on both our cultures. He is a very impressive, proud and articulate man and it was a pleasure to have met him.
As for the picture, he didn't know I took it. I could have shot it the usual way, full frontal, so to speak, showing his naked torso, painted face, musical instruments and so on - the same one taken by thousands of tourists every week - but this posture said something to be about him, his story and his wait for justice as he explained it to me.
