#29 A Story on Reclaiming My Name - Live at Walyalup Backyard Truth Telling

Freo de Janeiro

What’s it like to stand in front of an audience and be vulnerable? To craft a personal story over many weeks and then deliver it on stage not knowing what people might think? I got to experience this and I would be delighted to share what it was like. This episode is definitely different to the usual. It all wouldn’t be possible without the Centre for Stories and City of Fremantle, as well as so many wonderful people who made the Truth Telling in Walyalup program happen. This program is a collection of stories from Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians that were shared in local resident’s backyards all around Walyalup/Fremantle. These stories were produced in partnership with and made possible by generous funding from the City of Fremantle. Find out more about their reconciliation journey and truth telling program. The collection features live recordings from people who spoke about difficult truths, hidden histories and reimagined futures, all reflections of their lived experiences of colonisation in Walyalup and beyond. I was one of the people trained by renowned storyteller Ron Bradfield Junior and supported by Luisa Mitchell and Mohammed Ayo Busari from Centre for Stories. This story is about my name, Abid Imam and what it has been like growing up in a place where your name is different. I hope it resonates. Image credit: Robyn Jean Photography. Podcast credit: Thank you to the Centre for Stories for capturing this audio and allowing me to use it for this show with my further context added to those who are interested in my journey to delivering my first story.