Oprah, check out the 'real' Australia

Apparently the whole world knows, even those people without TVs in Africa, that Oprah Winfrey is in Australia at the moment. Well, sorry to pop the bubble - they don't. Australia is in a big Oprah fest at the moment, something I have already written about. The culmination of this love-in and supposed huge tourism ad for Australia has been two shows recorded in front of the temporarily renamed 'Oprah House' in Sydney. Thousands lined to be ushered in to the foreyard of Sydney's iconic building to sit on plastic cushions, which were described as 'horrid' (hmmm... sorry they couldn't provide you with the comfy sofa you have at home), with the hope of seeing their idol. Why do they like her? Because she's 'noice'. Of course, it has nothing to do with the anticipation that they will be receiving 'gifts' from Oprah (i.e. giveaway promos from a sponsor) such as a car. I would like to see what the numbers would be like for the Oprah audience if this element to her shows was eliminated.

While all tourism clichés have been pulled out the bag to promote Australia to the 'world' audience (well, just the USA and Canada), there has been one aspect of Australia that has been curiously missing - the Third-World living conditions that many of Australia's original inhabitants live in. This has been something picked up by activists in the Aboriginal community of Australia. So they decided to make a little film for Oprah so that she can become a little more familiar with the 'real' Australia. Watch and learn! These images are shocking.

I truly hope that Oprah does watch this film and make a point to highlight that all is not dinky-di and as friendly and Bindi Urwin-smiley as the whole farce has been portrayed. However, seeing that Tourism Australia (i.e. the Australian government, funded by taxpayers) and not Oprah has been the money behind this whole 'Australian Adventure' ad, I get the feeling that this video will be conveniently lost among the 'noice' things that Oprah does from the bottom of her heart - like giving money for laptops in a suburb of Sydney. The one million dollars in computers could have gone to Aboriginal communities instead, but then again, they don't have proper electricity, running water or housing, let alone internet and phone connections, so what's the use for them to have laptops? Nah, better give them to some First-World suburb instead. Noice!