Thirroul animator and illustrator Jake Duczynski needed no prodding to tell a ‘’beautiful story’’ of a culture that’s been around for over 40,000 years.
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So the 25-year-old was ecstatic when SBS’ online interactive animation My Grandmother’s Lingo won a prestigious Walkley award for multimedia storytelling.
Duczynski collaborated with two other indigenous artists to tell the personal story of Angelina Joshua, a young Aboriginal woman dedicated to preserving her endangered Indigenous culture through language.
Joshua’s story struck a chord with the Thirroul animator.
‘’We had a similar story happen in our own family...all that exists is a tape which basically has a few sentences, a couple of words that we hold dearly,’’ Duczynski said.
‘’It's a treasure in our family because that’s all that is left of a 40,000 year-old language really – a tape that was recorded years ago of my mother's great grandfather.’’
Duczynski was busy working in his Bulli studio when more than 600 journalists and media identities gathered in Brisbane on December 2 for the 61st Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism.
It's a treasure in our family because that’s all that is left of a 40,000 year-old language really.
- Jake Duczynski
But he was ‘’over the moon’’ when he heard My Grandmother’s Lingo had won a Walkley.
‘’For me personally it’s a great achievement for Aboriginal people. And, the fact there is funding and there's interest, there’s people who are willing to share this culture in a very positive light and preserve it,’’ he said.
‘’For a long time, especially for a lot of the Elders, it was so prohibitive to speak about your culture, to speak your language freely.
‘’I think something like the Walkleys could maybe alleviate a bit of that pressure and maybe get people talking and get people back engaging in the culture and integrating with the youth.
‘’It is great also that this industry is recognising Aboriginal culture and is recognising animation/picture and sound and the fact it can come together collaboratively to tell a beautiful story of a culture that’s been around for 40 to 50,000 years.’’
Duczynski worked with Joshua, who narrates and shares her story; and Kuren, a DJ and musician – on the project which integrates voice-activation technology with animation and gaming elements.
