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Keely & Marlee Silva
They’re proud Gamilaroi and Dunghutti women from the Sutherland Shire, Sydney and at just 22 and 24 years old, sisters Keely and Marlee Silva are wise beyond their years.
A large part of their tradition and heritage for some 60 thousand years, the sibling duo have found a way to carry on the art of storytelling well into the 21st century. Launching a social account @tiddas4tiddas in 2018, the platform shares stories of Indigenous female excellence and accomplishments in the hope to pass on strength and resilience to fellow Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander women.
Tell us about @tiddas4tiddas and what inspired you both to begin this movement on Instagram?
Growing up, we didn’t see a lot of positive stories of Aboriginal women in mainstream media.
In 2018, we saw incredible messages emerge as part of the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee's (NAIDOC) theme that year; Because of Her, We Can! We didn’t want to lose the positive momentum we saw there, so we decided to start our own platform online that would continue telling our sister’s stories, every day.
How important is it for women of colour to be represented in the media?
This saying is probably overused nowadays, but ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’ - so having a media landscape that accurately represents the true diversity of society is vital for the next generation to know their capabilities and essentially, strive for their wildest dreams.
Why is it important to you both to share positive stories of Indigenous women?
When we (Indigenous women) are spoken of in the mainstream media, we’re often referred to as statistics in negative stories or not given any agency to tell our stories, our way.
“Remaining relentlessly optimistic and revealing the strength of our women makes us feel strong and these stories inspire anyone who has the privilege of reading them.”
What have been the biggest lessons or hurdles since starting @tiddas4tiddas?
We’ve had a really awesome lesson come in the form of not being prepared for the explosion of interest in our work. For the first 12 months of this ride we were reactionary and didn’t have any planning or a clear idea of what we wanted to do/be as an entity - we’ve had to figure that out and shfit our mindset from Tiddas 4 Tiddas as a hobby, to a fully-fledged business.
What have been your highlights to date?
Marlee getting her podcast started with Mamamia and writing her book! Keely, being able to connect with lots of young women from across the country.
Both of us were nominated as finalists for the Young Person’s Human Rights Medal in 2019, also being featured in a range of magazines and having the chance to connect with so many inspiring leaders are highlights.
“Storytelling is one of the oldest traditions in our culture... passing on strength, resilience and education to anyone who will listen, to keep building each other up and forging a pathway forward.”
If founding a social media movement wasn’t enough. Marlee – You have started a new Podcast Series Always was, Always Will Be Our Stories and you’re about to release your first book in September. Let’s begin with the podcast, what made you decide to start your own series?
Mamamia gave me my start, but I always planned to use the skills I learned with them to run it myself one day. Aboriginal owned and controlled is very important to me and this new journey on my own has been so exciting and challenging in the best ways.
Your debut novel is set to be released in September, My Tidda, My Sister. How did this come about and what can we expect?
Literally through an Instagram direct message from a publisher! Such a thrill. This has been my dream for the longest time and being able to publish a debut novel that is completely dedicated to sharing some of the most inspiring stories from a diverse range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls is more than I could’ve ever hoped for.
“It’s a really positive, uplifting and inspiring collection of women’s stories that explore sisterhood, culture and resilience.”
Do you each have a piece of valuable advice that has been passed down to you?
Dad has been a really big source of advice for us growing up, he loves a good saying and has left us with a few powerful lessons. The first being, ‘there’s no such thing as ‘can’t,’’ anytime we’d say we couldn’t do something or was too hard growing up, that’s what he’d say. We used to groan about it then, but it made us work hard and never doubt our ability to achieve or strive for something more.
When do you both feel your most empowered?
Marlee I spent most of my childhood in drama classes and on stage, this left me with a deep love for public speaking and presenting to large crowds (which I know is a lot of people’s worst nightmare) but it lifts me up and makes me feel so empowered.
Keely I feel most empowered on the sporting field. Touch football is one of my greatest loves and being able to use my body to feel strong and push myself is very empowering.
What is next for you both and @tiddas4tiddas?
Our next focus is on getting into more schools and working with more young people. We’ve recently started a program with a juvenile justic centre and we’re passionate about particularly supporting those young ones inside or living away from family, so we’re exploring exciting and creative opportunities and ideas there. For Keely, the focus is graduating university in a few months and Marlee is prepping for the book launch in September.
For more, follow @tiddas4tiddas on Instagram, listen to the Always Was, Always Will Be podcast or pre-order the book My Tidda, My Sister.
Follow @tiddas4tiddas on Instagram, listen to the Always Was, Always Will Be podcast or pre-order the book My Tidda, My Sister.