GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM
INTRODUCTION
SYNOPSIS
OVERVIEW
PARTICIPANTS
DISCOVERY REFERENCES
TECHNIQUES
QUOTES
QUESTIONS /WORKSHEETS
INTRODUCTION
“Go Back To Where You Came From” was a television series
on SBS. The main purpose of this documentary was to
allow the audience to understand the risks and dangers
that they face on their perilous journey to safety. This
is an important topic as at the moment in Australia,
there is an ongoing national debate about letting more
refugees and asylum seekers into the country.
The main aim of “Go Back To Where You Came From” is to
build empathy towards refugees.
This series gives an insight into refugee experiences and
an appreciation of their struggles.
This documentary series helps responders to understand
and give insight unto the plight and dangers
confronting refugees.
Synopsis
“Go Back to Where You Came From”, hosted by Dr David Corlett,
invites participants to challenge their preconceived notions about
refugees and asylum seekers by embarking on a confronting 25-day
adventure, tracing in reverse the journeys taken by refugees now
settled in Australia. Six ‘ordinary Australians’ take up the challenge.
Having no idea of what is in store for them and without money,
phones or ID the six are divided and billeted out with former
refugees now living in Australia. The Masudi family from Burundi
and the Democratic Republic of Congo and a group of immigrants
from Iraq who share a modest flat, welcome the participants into
their homes and openly answer questions about why they are now
living in Australia and how they got here.
OVERVIEW
Go Back to Where You Came From follows six ordinary
Australians – Raye, Darren, Gleny, Adam, Roderick and
Raquel – who come to the table with different perspectives:
The participants agree to challenge their preconceived
notions about refugees and asylum seekers by embarking
on a confronting 25-day journey. Tracing in reverse the
journeys that refugees have taken to reach Australia, they
will travel to some of the most dangerous and desperate
corners of the world.
Their journey begins in Sydney, where the participants are
deprived of their wallets, phones and passports, and have
no idea about what is in store for them during the weeks
ahead. Along the way they learn about the reality of life
for refugees who now call Australia home, travel to Darwin
and board a refugee boat and are rescued mid-ocean,
experience immigration raids in Malaysia, witness sheer
desperation in Kenyan refugee camps and visit slums in
Jordan, before ultimately making it to the Democratic
Republic of Congo and Iraq, protected by UN Peacekeepers
and the US military.
THE PARTICIPANTS
Raye Colbey (lives opposite Inverbrackie detention centre, South Australia).
Raye started her journey with bitter hatred towards asylum seekers however by
the end, she had bonded so deeply with the family of African refugees who had
taken her in at the beginning of the series that one of their sons stayed as a guest
in her home. Her entire journey, in fact, was punctuated with tears of sympathy,
empathy and
Racquel Moore (Anglo Westie from Western Sydney).
21 yearold Racquel is a high school drop out, uneducated, unemployed,
breeding dogs in the backyard. Living in a “working class” suburb (many newly
arrived migrants are settled in former “working class” suburbs) she is
concerned at all the foreigners populating Western Sydney.
Racquel was aware she was kind of racist, expressed support for Pauline
Hanson, and admitted to not liking Africans. In Malaysia, she was alarmed
when she saw women with “teatowels” on their heads.
Despite dragging her feet most of the way, by the end of the series, she had
learned to see the humanity in Africans, and in refugees.
Gleny Rae (happy leftie, parttime teacher and singer).
Gleny’s “character arc” was expected to be the smallest, given she went into it
with the view that Australia should be accepting more asylum seekers, and was
even willing to take some people into her own home. Her experiences did affect
her deeply, though, and deepened her appreciation of what she has here in
Australia.
Adam Hartup (lifeguard from Sutherland Shire and participant in Cronulla
protests/Riots).
Prior to this, Adam, 26, had lived in Cronulla his whole life and travelled
through Asia and Europe, working in Greece as a lifeguard last winter. He was a
zero tolerance kind of bloke but by the end of the series, his views had changed
significantly His trip to a detention centre in episode 1 offered him the first real
insight into the psychology of being the Other, the asylum seeker
Darren Hassan (Adelaide man with military background, member of the Liberal
Party, practicing Christian).
Darren’s views hardly change at all. He doesn’t understand
why they would flee their home country and undertake
the boat journey. Near the end of the series he starts to
understand why they would leave their home country
but he still doesn’t know why they would try and come
to Australia. 42 yearold Darren’s surname, Hassan, can be attributed
to the fact that his ancestors were in the first group of Muslim families to
arrive in Australia in the late 1800s. He is married to and raising a family
with a Taiwanese woman, with whom he is also running an import/export
business. Darren also believes multiculturalism is generally not working.
At the beginning of his journey, Darren was staunchly against “boat people” He
is still against “boat people”, but has more compassion now for “genuine”
refugees stuck in countries like Malaysia – like those he met during the series.
Roderick Schneider (Vice President of the Australian Young Liberals and a
former president of the Young Liberal Nationals in Queensland).
Roderick, 29, had never been overseas before this series. His biggest fear was
being perceived as a giant lefty. His concern about asylum seekers arriving by
boat and the ensuing debate was that the focus should be on the issues that drive
them here in the first place.
His views had not significantly altered by the end of the series, although he did
insist the experiences of the journey had affected him.
DISCOVERY REFERENCES
Types of Discovery that could be explored : self-discovery, discovery
of something that was lost, rediscovery, discovery of people,
discovery of place, discovery of time, discovery of loss, discovery of
knowledge. e.
Words you might use instead of "discovery" in each of the three
sections (especially creative writing): revelation, realisation,
confirmation, understanding, locating, unearthing.
There are many more connotations for discovery that could be
explored
QUESTIONS ABOUT DISCOVERY
• How are perceptions about discovery changed over time?
• In “Go Back to Where You Came From”, perceptions
about discovery of the participants had changed over time.
Raquel at the beginning of the film, has a mindset of racism
towards African people and she also hates refugees. She
called black skin coloured people as black people instead of
Africans and she was excited to see refugees being captured
during the raid. However, as time goes on, her perceptions
about that has gradually changed. After she discovered the
experience of what it feels like to be a refugee, she finally
understands how refugees are struggling to live. She also
was confronted by discovering the pain felt through the sad
stories from Bahati’s mother about her poor family. From
hearing the personal stories directly from the refugees, she
now discovers that refugees’ lives are really hard, and she
starts to accept them. In addition, she now doesn’t call black
skin coloured people as “black people”. Instead, she calls
them Africans. Raquel’s perception about discovery
changed over time.
The impact of discovery for individuals and societies
• Discovery may affect an individual’s perception about
something. For example, Darren used to think, “boat people
without documentation should be immediately expatriated.”
However, throughout his journey as a refugee, he discovered
something spiritual. He discovers the hardship that refugees
need to went through and so, he changed his perception
about refugees. He now has more compassion towards the
refugees. He also has some sympathy to them.
DISCOVERIES THROUGH THE TEXT
Maisara’s story in the text enables viewers to disciver for themselves
the hardship that refugees had in their lives. For example, Maisara told
the participants about her hard life that she, as a refugee, even after she
escaped from Kongo, still need to work hard to survive everyday.
TECHNIQUES
EFFECTS OF TECHNIQUES USED ON AUDIENCE’S EXPERIENCE
“Go Back to Where You Came From” is an Australia documentary film.
The director uses narration, visual elements, editing, language and
sound to create this documentary more realistic. These techniques also
influence the audience’s experience by evoking some emotions and
draw audience’s attention. As the narration, the narrator explains in
details everything in each scene of the film subjectively. The clear
narration has helped the audiences to know what’s happening during
the filming process. As for the visual elements, the director uses
camera angles to show the audience what’s happening in the location
from different angles. This makes the audience able to feel more
realistic, as if they’re in the location. Camera angles that are mostly
used are close up, extreme close up and wide shot. In addition, the
director also uses some background music and sound effect
throughout the film. This is done to create some tension for the viewers
so the audiences are able to feel more emotions and attracted to the
film. For example, there’s one scene in the refugee camp where Raquel,
Raye and Roderick stayed. Through the scene, it can be seen that the
atmosphere in the camp was really tense because people there are
suffering. To make it feel more realistic, the director adds some gong
sounds and people shouting as the sound effects. Moreover, some
tense music was also used in the film. The techniques used by the
director has make the audience to be able to feel the emotions of the
film.
Camera Angles
There are many close up camera shots and interviews. An
example of this is when Raye and Raquel are talking to
Bahati Masudi’s wife about the troubles and horrors
she witnessed in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
including the rape of her two sisters. By using close up
camera shots, the producers and camera people give us
a clear view of her emotions and sad facial expressions.
There are many close up camera shots and interviews.
An example of this is when Raye and Raquel are talking
to Bahati Masudi’s wife about the troubles and horrors
she witnessed in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
including the rape of her two sisters. By using close up
camera shots, the producers and camera people give us
a clear view of her emotions and sad facial expressions.
Hand held camera
Audience see how dangerous their home countries are
thanks to the hand held camera cameras which make
them feel like they are there with the participants. An
example is in Iraq and we watch people put on
bulletproof clothing and get escorted around in heavily
armoured vehicles and embark on a quick tour of
Baghdad. We move around with them and feel the fear
and uncertainty thanks to the hand held camera.
Archival Footage
The archive or archives are a collection of documents and records that
contain historical
information. Archival film footage shows true and real images that have
been recorded. The footage has not been ‘created’ or ‘staged’.
Documentary
The medium of documentary has effectively allowed uvision
of the refugees’ experiences during their journey as
well as the reactions of people not involved like the
participants. This has effectively helped understanding
of the desperation of the refugees to come and live in
a country like Australia .
Flashbacks
The participants are interviewed about their current
thoughts on refugees. Throughout the series, there are
flashbacks to these initial interviews to show the change in
people’s beliefs and for others the reaffirming of them
Voice over Narration
• The person who narrates a film or programme sometimes uses a
“voice over” sound track to speak the words which accompany the
pictures,
Effect: The narrator leads the audience through the
information/facts/topics of the documentary and provide insight for
persuasion.
Graphics
Graphics are images, pictures, maps, graphs,symbols and visual
prompts which engage and connect with the audience.
• Effect: graphics provide visual prompts and evidence for the audience
to quickly and easily understand and interpret.
Connotation
Observers connate that it must be very serious if people are
taking the enormous risk of going on an overcrowded,
leaky, unseaworthy and definitely unsafe boat.
First Hand interview
A first-hand account refers to a witness or observer reflecting on an
experience or event.
• Effect: Adds weight and clarity to an argument or point of view.
Provides the documentary with authenticity if a ‘expert’ is being
interviewed.
• Both the participants and refugees are asked
questions about their experiences and how these have affected them.
Visual techniques
cross cutting eg. Contrasting Darren and Adam's reactions to the
raid.
Pathetic fallacy when Adam visited Villawood
Close ups of characters during moments of discovery; signifies
importance of discovery
Sound techniques
music
The cuts from shots of Kakuma to Jordan shows that the refugee
journey cannot be generalised.
reaction shots show the participants changed perceptions etc.
QUOTES
Darren was staunchly against “boat people”, arguing that they are not refugees,
but economic migrants.
People who come here without any documentation by boat
should be immediately expatriated. Darren, 42, Adelaide
We’re very well off in Australia. I think that we have the
capacity to take perhaps more refugees. Definitely the
number that we’re taking at the moment is not outrageous.
We could take more. Gleny, 39, Newcastle
They need to go straight back. We’ve had floods, cyclones,
fires, and we’re spending millions of dollars on housing
these criminals.
“Instead of harbouring them, we should just put them straight on a plane and
send them back. Don’t worry about giving them a feed or shower.”
Adam, 26, Sydney
I like to think of myself as right wing, centre right. It angers
me when minorities do get to control the direction of the
majority. Roderick, 29, Brisbane
Australia should be Australian, just like Africa is African and
Asia is Asia and America is America or whatever. Australia
should be Australia and it shouldn’t be so multicultural.
Raquel, 21, Sydney
“They get given everything; all they do is complain; we’re rolling out the red
carpet with a glass of champagne at the end of it.”
“I could have gone over there and shot them all”
“Did I actually say that?”
Raye ,63, Adelaide
QUESTIONS /WORKSHEETS
Technique Example Effect
Archival
footage
Talking heads
Hand held
camera
Voiceover
narration
Re-enactments
Statistics and
facts
Interviews
Real people
Go Back To Where You Came From
Episode Two
Analysis Questions (next page )
Refugees in transit – The Malaysian experience
1. The episode begins with a recap of each of the participants, with a
selected soundbyte from their introductory package. Why have these
soundbytes been repeated? What does it suggest about the way that the
audience is supposed to view the participants?
2. As the VO states, “From day one their beliefs have been challenged.”
Outline some of the challenges that the narrator is referring to.
3. The VO continuously refers to this part of the experience as a
“shadow world” or “limbo experience”. Why are these the metaphors
that have been chosen to describe this part of the experience?
4. Make a list of the sounds and images that help to support the idea of
a transitory experience.
5. The participants are all shocked at the living conditions of the Chin
refugees. What do the following quotes reveal about the participant’s
perspective, and willingness to be a part of this stage of the experiment:
• Raye: “No matress? They sleep on the floor? It’s very primitive.”
• Raquel: “I feel sorry for them … but I’m not too impressed that I have
to stay here.”
• Gleny: “It’s almost like a detention centre that they’ve created for
themselves.”
• Darren: “Now the bloody Muslims are staring their prayers.”
• Roderick: “I know it’s a Muslim country, but that doesn’t mean you get
to blurt out your prayers and wake up the entire neighbourhood.”
• Adam: “I mean, at home, guys labouring have got a place you can go
to to get the luxuries in life. These guys have got nothing.”
6. What is your response to the dramatic irony created by the Voice
Over explaining the lack of prospects for refugee children and higher
education, and the children’s own aspirations for their futures?
7. This stage has a particular effect on Adam, and significantly shifts his
perspective. Discuss how this stage has changed Adam, and some of
the discoveries that he has made.
8. Where is Raquel at in regards to her journey of discovery? Is there
any hope that she is shifting her own perspective on the issue?
Border Patrol
1. How is the mood shifted at the start of this section to make it
engaging for the responder? Consider camera angles, sound effect and
exposition.
2. Why, do you think, this brief section of border control has been
included in the series? What effect does the information about funding
being provided by Australian tax payers have on the audience?
3.
Midnight Raid
1. Discuss the use of various film techniques used in this sequence.
Consider the use of hand held cameras, soundtrack, editing and direct
interviews that are used throughout. What effect do these techniques
have on the audience?
2. The participants respond in various ways to the raids. Discuss the
significance of the below quotes (considering intent, tone and
perspective), and the effect of their words on the audience.
• Roderick: “I hope they’re bad, bad people … it’s going to be harder to
watch if they’re really nice people getting turfed out of their place.”
• Raquel: “They should be doing this in Australia. This is good.”
• Raye: “I don’t know how I feel, it’s pretty sad. I’m certainly not
relishing in it.”
• Darren: “This is unbelievable. I had no idea that it was going to be this
full on.”
• Gleny: “It’s a very tense situation. I’m just churning inside.”
• Adam: “Far out, It’s just a big reality hit.”
3. How does Raye and Raquel’s dialogue during this scene highlight the
dichotomy of public opinions about the criminality of refugees and
asylum seekers?
4. At the end of this part of the episode, the participants debrief with Dr
David Corlett. There is a clear divide between those who have shifted
their perspectives, and those who are yet to discover a new way of
thinking. Explain the position of each participant in regards to their
perspective on refugees and asylum seekers. How has their perspective
changed from the beginning, and have other participants influenced
them in any way?
Kenya
1. As Roderick, Raquel and Raye travel to the Kakuma refugee camp,
they have different responses to the potential danger of the situation.
Describe these responses.
2. How is Raquel’s statement: “I’m not no refugee.” Ironic? Consider
both the syntax, and the nature of the experiment. What does this say
about the nature of self discovery?
3.The Voice Over provides the following detail: “It is now 16 days since
the Australian’s have had any contact with friends and family at home.
The refugee experiment is taking them further and further from their
comfort zone.” What could be suggested about the way thatRaye,
Raquel and Roderick are handling this situation, especially in regards
to discovery
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