Professional Documents
Culture Documents
INTRODUCTION
SYNOPSIS
OVERVIEW
PARTICIPANTS
DISCOVERY REFERENCES
TECHNIQUES
QUOTES
QUESTIONS /WORKSHEETS
INTRODUCTION
Go Back To Where You Came From was a television series
on SBS. The main purpose of this documentary was to
allow the audience to understand the risks and dangers
that they face on their perilous journey to safety. This
is an important topic as at the moment in Australia,
there is an ongoing national debate about letting more
refugees and asylum seekers into the country.
The main aim of Go Back To Where You Came From is to
build empathy towards refugees.
This series gives an insight into refugee experiences and
an appreciation of their struggles.
This documentary series helps responders to understand
and give insight unto the plight and dangers
confronting refugees.
Synopsis
Go Back to Where You Came From, hosted by Dr David Corlett,
invites participants to challenge their preconceived notions about
refugees and asylum seekers by embarking on a confronting 25-day
adventure, tracing in reverse the journeys taken by refugees now
settled in Australia. Six ordinary Australians take up the challenge.
Having no idea of what is in store for them and without money,
phones or ID the six are divided and billeted out with former
refugees now living in Australia. The Masudi family from Burundi
and the Democratic Republic of Congo and a group of immigrants
from Iraq who share a modest flat, welcome the participants into
their homes and openly answer questions about why they are now
living in Australia and how they got here.
OVERVIEW
Go Back to Where You Came From follows six ordinary
Australians Raye, Darren, Gleny, Adam, Roderick and
Raquel who come to the table with different perspectives:
The participants agree to challenge their preconceived
notions about refugees and asylum seekers by embarking
on a confronting 25-day journey. Tracing in reverse the
journeys that refugees have taken to reach Australia, they
will travel to some of the most dangerous and desperate
corners of the world.
Their journey begins in Sydney, where the participants are
deprived of their wallets, phones and passports, and have
no idea about what is in store for them during the weeks
ahead. Along the way they learn about the reality of life
for refugees who now call Australia home, travel to Darwin
and board a refugee boat and are rescued mid-ocean,
experience immigration raids in Malaysia, witness sheer
desperation in Kenyan refugee camps and visit slums in
Jordan, before ultimately making it to the Democratic
Republic of Congo and Iraq, protected by UN Peacekeepers
and the US military.
THEPARTICIPANTS
RayeColbey(livesoppositeInverbrackiedetentioncentre,SouthAustralia).
Rayestartedherjourneywithbitterhatredtowardsasylumseekershoweverby
theend,shehadbondedsodeeplywiththefamilyofAfricanrefugeeswhohad
takenherinatthebeginningoftheseriesthatoneoftheirsonsstayedasaguest
inherhome.Herentirejourney,infact,waspunctuatedwithtearsofsympathy,
empathyand
RacquelMoore(AngloWestiefromWesternSydney).
21 yearold Racquel is a high school drop out, uneducated, unemployed,
breedingdogsinthebackyard.Livinginaworkingclasssuburb(manynewly
GlenyRae(happyleftie,parttimeteacherandsinger).
Glenyscharacterarcwasexpectedtobethesmallest,givenshewentintoit
withtheviewthatAustraliashouldbeacceptingmoreasylumseekers,andwas
evenwillingtotakesomepeopleintoherownhome.Herexperiencesdidaffect
her deeply, though, and deepened her appreciation of what she has here in
Australia.
Adam Hartup (lifeguard from Sutherland Shire and participant in Cronulla
protests/Riots).
Prior to this, Adam, 26, had lived in Cronulla his whole life and travelled
throughAsiaandEurope,workinginGreeceasalifeguardlastwinter.Hewasa
zerotolerancekindofblokebutbytheendoftheseries,hisviewshadchanged
significantlyHistriptoadetentioncentreinepisode1offeredhimthefirstreal
insightintothepsychologyofbeingtheOther,theasylumseeker
DarrenHassan(Adelaidemanwithmilitarybackground,memberoftheLiberal
Party,practicingChristian).
Darrens views hardly change at all. He doesnt understand
why they would flee their home country and undertake
the boat journey. Near the end of the series he starts to
understand why they would leave their home country
but he still doesnt know why they would try and come
to Australia.42yearoldDarrenssurname,Hassan,canbeattributed
tothefactthathisancestorswereinthefirstgroupofMuslimfamiliesto
arriveinAustraliainthelate1800s.Heismarriedtoandraisingafamily
withaTaiwanesewoman,withwhomheisalsorunninganimport/export
business.Darrenalsobelievesmulticulturalismisgenerallynotworking.
Atthebeginningofhisjourney,DarrenwasstaunchlyagainstboatpeopleHe
is still against boat people, but has more compassion now for genuine
refugeesstuckincountrieslikeMalaysialikethosehemetduringtheseries.
Roderick Schneider (Vice President of the Australian Young Liberals and a
formerpresidentoftheYoungLiberalNationalsinQueensland).
Roderick,29,hadneverbeenoverseasbeforethisseries.Hisbiggestfearwas
beingperceivedasagiantlefty.Hisconcernaboutasylumseekersarrivingby
boatandtheensuingdebatewasthatthefocusshouldbeontheissuesthatdrive
themhereinthefirstplace.
Hisviewshadnotsignificantlyalteredbytheendoftheseries,althoughhedid
insisttheexperiencesofthejourneyhadaffectedhim.
DISCOVERY REFERENCES
Types of Discovery that could be explored : self-discovery, discovery
of something that was lost, rediscovery, discovery of people,
discovery of place, discovery of time, discovery of loss, discovery of
knowledge. e.
Words you might use instead of "discovery" in each of the three
sections (especially creative writing): revelation, realisation,
confirmation, understanding, locating, unearthing.
There are many more connotations for discovery that could be
explored
Visual techniques
cross cutting eg. Contrasting Darren and Adam's reactions to the
raid.
Pathetic fallacy when Adam visited Villawood
Close ups of characters during moments of discovery; signifies
importance of discovery
Sound techniques
music
The cuts from shots of Kakuma to Jordan shows that the refugee
journey cannot be generalised.
reaction shots show the participants changed perceptions etc.
QUOTES
Darrenwasstaunchlyagainstboatpeople,arguingthattheyarenotrefugees,
buteconomicmigrants.
QUESTIONS /WORKSHEETS
Technique
Archival
footage
Talking heads
Hand held
camera
Voiceover
narration
Example
Effect
Re-enactments
Statistics and
facts
Interviews
Real people
5. The participants are all shocked at the living conditions of the Chin
refugees. What do the following quotes reveal about the participants
perspective, and willingness to be a part of this stage of the experiment:
Raye: No matress? They sleep on the floor? Its very primitive.
Raquel: I feel sorry for them but Im not too impressed that I have
to stay here.
Gleny: Its almost like a detention centre that theyve created for
themselves.
Darren: Now the bloody Muslims are staring their prayers.
Roderick: I know its a Muslim country, but that doesnt mean you get
to blurt out your prayers and wake up the entire neighbourhood.
Adam: I mean, at home, guys labouring have got a place you can go
to to get the luxuries in life. These guys have got nothing.
6. What is your response to the dramatic irony created by the Voice
Over explaining the lack of prospects for refugee children and higher
education, and the childrens own aspirations for their futures?
7. This stage has a particular effect on Adam, and significantly shifts his
perspective. Discuss how this stage has changed Adam, and some of
the discoveries that he has made.
8. Where is Raquel at in regards to her journey of discovery? Is there
any hope that she is shifting her own perspective on the issue?
Border Patrol
1. How is the mood shifted at the start of this section to make it
engaging for the responder? Consider camera angles, sound effect and
exposition.
2. Why, do you think, this brief section of border control has been
included in the series? What effect does the information about funding
being provided by Australian tax payers have on the audience?
3.
Midnight Raid
1. Discuss the use of various film techniques used in this sequence.
Consider the use of hand held cameras, soundtrack, editing and direct
interviews that are used throughout. What effect do these techniques
have on the audience?
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