Around 350 languages are spoken in homes across Australia, yet we see ourselves as an English-speaking country.

And we tend to understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures primarily through English and Western concepts.

Let’s challenge this dominance of English.

My Language My Country is a six-part series that asks what changes when we approach Country through the many languages we speak.

1. Why is English dominance a problem?
2. How are cultural ideas and concepts embedded in language?
3. And what does embracing multilingualism look and sound like?
4. Why is it important for migrants and new settlers to support First Nations language revival?

We explore how people are engaging with First Nations ways of being, building solidarities, and imagining what ethical belonging might look like.

Credits

This series was produced on the Lands of the Gadigal People, the Cammeraygal People, the Darug People, and the Guringai People.

Hosted by Elaine Laforteza and created by the UTS Multicultural Women’s Network.

The producer is Masako Fukui.

This podcast is part of the broader UTS Acknowledgment of Country in Our Languages project, featuring an audio library of Acknowledgments in 40+ languages, as well as videos and stories highlighting why this practice matters.

My Language My Country is the first season of UTS Impact Studios’ Change the Story podcast.

Special thanks to An Le, Lucie Vayriot, Leah Subijano, Melissa May, Tiffany Dimmack, Claudia Taranto, And Jane Curtis, Sarah Gilbert of UTS Impact Studios. Artwork by Alexandra Morris.