Have you read the Uluru Statement from the Heart? It’s powerful. Poetic. Inspiring. A lesson for all writers. The headline, for one, is beautiful.
The reference to the “heart” provides the resonant metaphor in the title. The statement was written after one of the most comprehensive consultation processes ever undertaken. This involved a series of regional “dialogues” held around the country, culminating in a National Constitutional Convention at Uluru in 2017.
The first sentence, with few words, sets the scene for the deep thoughts and feelings that follow: “We, gathered at the 2017 National Constitutional Convention, coming from all points of the southern sky, make this statement from the heart:…”
The statement then captures the dire circumstances that lead First Nation’s People to make a clear call to action.
“We call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution.”
The statement reminds us of the 1967 referendum (widely supported and carried) to decide whether indigenous people should be counted as Australian citizens.
“In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard.”
What the statement shows is that, when words are filled with genuine emotion and meaning, we as readers are gripped and moved by them.
It cannot be faked for marketing purposes. It must come from the heart.
So let’s open up our hearts.