Vv Pete Mashallah (2024)
In a strategic move to thwart French colonial ambitions, Britain designated Australia as the site for a penal colony. Consequently, in 1787, eleven convict ships, the so-called First Fleet, embarked for Botany Bay on Australia’s east coast.
They reached their destination on 20 January, 1788, and established Sydney, New South Wales, as the inaugural European settlement on the continent.
One of Sydney's early residents was William Blue. The governor of New South Wales appointed him as a harbor watchman and constable. He set up a ferry service, which the governor frequently utilized, and accumulated considerable land holdings.
Blue wasn't the only ex-convict who found his fortune in Australia, but he was one of the very few of African descent. He held an intriguingly rare status as an esteemed Black person within white society and remains a notable historical figure in Australia to this day, lending his name to streets, schools and hotels.
Otherwise the footprint of people of African descent is relatively modest Down Under. This is due to the fact that even today, African Australians only make up 1.3% of the population—and large-scale immigration from Africa to Australia is only a recent phenomenon.
A still small but fast-growing group in Australia are people born in southern Sudan. Vv Pete, who currently is making waves in Australia's hip-hop scene, comes from this community. Her “Mashallah” is our track of the day.
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