Land of Danger

Land of Danger 

We come from a land of danger where we are safest.  

Safety is somewhere in fairytales.  

Of dragons and princesses in towers and charming princes and colonising ships.  

Our land is full of pigshits and politicians and whanau sleeping in cars. the land of danger is fenced off so we Only occupy a sliver of our old stories.  

Surveilled, denied, declined Whakamā. Angry.  

Our mauri vibrates dangerously, sending red fuck off vibes.  

We walk with heavy footsteps so you can hear our approach and get out of our way. Or lock the gate. 

We don’t know you or trust you, we don’t even speak the same.  

We are always the quietest, we are always out the back.  

In the land of danger we don’t vote.  

What’s the fucken point, cause we will never be safe here. 

For the People of Gaza - Ati Teepa 

Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival was held during Aotearoa’s 2023 Government Election weekend. Our writers and speakers had some choppy water to navigate to get their voices heard and provide us with ideas to sail on with.

Ati Teepa was here in Ōtepoti for his maiden festival voyage. A week after conflict broke in Palestine, he wrote these words within a storm that is still raging for the people of Gaza.