FIRST NATIONS ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY

GURR ERA OP by Ghenoa Gela. Image by Prudence Upton

While we make work on these unceded lands, Force Majeure always acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the first sovereign nations of this continent.

Force Majeure is committed to empowering and amplifying First Nations artists and fostering environments that First Peoples can thrive in.

Purpose

The goal of the strategy is to honour and centre the commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their stories, and their cultural and creative expressions.

We strive to create meaningful, reciprocal partnerships with First Nations artists, organisations and communities, building a company culture grounded in respect, truth-telling, active listening and two-way learning.

The Strategy

The strategy is part of a larger framework supported by our Strategic Plan, Artist Agreements, Code of Conduct and other policies. It evolves continuously, aligning with cultural protocols without replacing them and embedding local and international standards of respect and inclusion.

What Informs Us:

  • First Peoples’ Creative Voices: Feedback from current, former, and future First Nations creatives with whom

    we engage.

  • United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Articles 11 and 31 guide the strategy, emphasising the rights of Indigenous peoples to maintain and protect their cultural heritage and intellectual property.

  • Indigenous Standpoint Theory: Moves beyond Western frameworks, focusing on the unique intersections affecting First Nations Peoples. It is vital for understanding cultural context and structural inequalities.

  • Cultural Safety Principles: Research-based definitions, involving creating a safe and respectful environment, in which Indigenous identities are acknowledged, shared knowledge is valued and dominant culture bias is challenged.

  • Australian Government Protocols: Creative Australia and Create NSW guideline documents.

The Plan:

  1. Prior Knowledge Finding: Understanding the artist and their community.

  2. Prior Informed Consent and Consultation: Ensuring First Peoples are consulted appropriately, their wishes respected, in an ongoing process.

  3. Artist-Led and Company-Enforced: Projects and cultural requirements led by First Nations artists and enforced by the company.

  4. Cultural Authority and Agency: Recognising ownership and control within projects.

  5. Recognising Rights and Maintaining Culture: Protecting and communicating the rights of First Nations peoples transparently.

  6. Stabilising and Advocating for Cultural Integrity: Respecting and managing cultural knowledge in the right way.

  7. Attribution and Sharing Benefits: Ensuring work is attributed to the rightful people and beneficiaries.

Developed with cultural consultant Jax Compton, our First Nations Engagement Strategy shapes our practices and increases accountability, guiding our navigation of a decolonised approach.

This strategy is a commitment to evolve with the input of First Peoples, honouring their creative and cultural practices. The strategy and its framework will be reviewed every two years.

This page provides a summary of our First Nations Engagement Strategy. To see the full strategy, please contact us.

Force Majeure respectfully acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land, seas, waterways and skies where we work and we pay our respect to Elders both past and present. We recognise that our office is located on Gadigal Land. We are privileged to gather on this Country to share knowledge, culture, art and storytelling now, and with future generations.