Australian singer-songwriter, Archie Roach has been awarded the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for his 2019 memoir, Tell Me Why: The Story of My Life and My Music during a virtual ceremony on February 1st.
The moving memoir – which sees Roach reflect on his life journey, growing up as a child of the Stolen Generation and the “healing power of music” – won the Indigenous Writing category which comes with a $25,000 cash prize.
In an acceptance statement, Roach said: “We need to understand and write about the First People’s experience and history as well [as migrants’ experiences] because they’re both connected, they’re intertwined. We can’t separate the two, really.”
Victorian creative industries, Danny Pearson spoke about the integral role of literature, saying: “Books and writing have always been important, but in the past 12 months they were a life-line – keeping us entertained, informed, inspired and connected. Congratulations to this year’s winners and nominees, for bringing your voice, imagination and perspective to readers across the globe this past year.”
Archie Roach | “Took The Children Away”
The award follows an extraordinary last year for Roach who was both inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and named the Double J Australian Artist of the Year for 2020.
Congratulations Archie Roach!
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