Meyrin Screening & Discussion: Yurlu | Country
Once exploited with no regard for the Aboriginal communities who are the traditional custodians of the land, the Wittenoom asbestos mine has left behind a vast contaminated exclusion zone, often described as Australia’s Chernobyl. Although the mine has long since closed, its consequences are still felt today. Local communities continue to demand site remediation and reparations. Beyond this case, the discussion raises broader questions: how can Indigenous land rights be protected in the face of extractive industries? And how should responsibility be shared between states and corporations to uphold the right to a healthy environment?
Free admission – booking required on https://www.meyrinculture.ch/ or at billetterie@meyrin.ch | +41 (0)22 989 34 34
18:30 Doors open & catering
20:00 Screening
21:30 Discussion
Un·e représentant·e de la FIDH
Johnnell Parker
Vice Chair of Banjima Native Title Aboriginal Corporation
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Yaara Bou Melhem
Director of Yurlu | Country
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Adrià Budry Carbó
Investigative journalist, commodities and finance investigator for Public Eye
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Milena Michoud
Journalist
The discussion is interpreted in English and French
Yurlu | Country
In the Pilbara region of Western Australia, Maitland Parker dedicates his life to protecting Yurlu, his ancestral land, poisoned by asbestos mining. Terminally ill with cancer, he confronts the inaction of the authorities and corporate greed in an effort to enable his people to reconnect with their land. The film reveals an environmental catastrophe comparable to that of Chernobyl, long rendered invisible, and told for the first time from the perspective of the Banyjima people.
