A new Australian advert – for lamb, of all things – is going viral thanks to its celebration of diversity and immigration.
The advert sees a group of Indigenous people hosting a barbecue on an Australian beach. It then sees different cultural groups from the past arriving on ships (the Dutch first, followed by the Brits), each bringing gifts from their own country, and joining the festivities.
Someone then points out that "boat people" (the term some Australians use to call modern-day asylum seekers coming in on boats) are now arriving. Another responds, "Aren't we all boat people?"
The ad, from Meat & Livestock Australia, is being shown Down Under ahead of Australia Day celebrations on 26th January. The holiday is a contentious one; while it marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships in New South Wales, it ignores the fact that it's also the day that Australia's Indigenous people had their country taken over (they refer to it as Invasion Day). Many Australians find the Australia Day celebrations (it's a national holiday with huge firework displays and parties) extremely distasteful and want the date changed.
The ad makes no mention of Australia Day. When someone asks "What's the occasion?", another answers, "Do we need one?"
While many are welcoming the ad for celebrating multiculturalism and immigration, others have suggested it passes over the horrors of colonisation. Still, it's worth a watch.