"Australia Day, Invasion Day- homie that's one and the same", raps hip hop artist Urthboy.
He is just one of the artists collaborating ‘Change the Date’, the song that’s brought together some of the best Indigenous and non-Indigenous hip hop talent in the country - including Urthboy, Thundamentals, Nooky, Hau, Kaylah Truth and L-Fresh the Lion.
It’s a modern take on the black protest song, using modern technology - with a shot by NITV.
The artists want to send a clear message to Australia, they believe we need to change the date of Australia day.
“They're celebrating invasion, we mourn the dead, they celebrate it,” says Indigenous hip hop artist Nooky.
“I just can't wrap my head around why they're still doing it.”
“For me January 26 is a day or acknowledging or recognising it as a day of mourning,” says L-Fresh the Lion.
“It's not a day that I'm proud of it's not a date that I celebrate,” says Thundamentals.
These artists are just the latest to join the change the date movement, with another hip hop protest track ‘January 26’ released by A.B. Original last year.
Several newspapers, including, and have also officially voiced their support via editorials, and workplaces around Australia are boycotting Australia Day celebrations.
But not everyone in the Indigenous community agrees that changing the date is the most effective form of protest.
“If you move the day, you also remove the irritation which is great, but you remove the impetus to talk about what it means for black and white Australia to be together,” says Sydney Festival Director Wesley Enoch.
Sydney Festival will open Australia Day celebrations tomorrow in Barangaroo with a choir performance in Dharug language.
For those wanting to learn about Indigenous culture and the history of Indigenous Invasion Day protests - the Australian Museum is opening their doors a for a special event on Wednesday.
The event, called Ngalu Warwawi Marri: ‘We Stand Strong’, will feature a performance by black panther activist and Indigenous blues performer Marlene Cummins, an array of Indigenous artistic performers, a display of cultural artefacts from the museum vaults and the screening of ‘88’- a landmark documentary about the Indigenous protests of the bicentenary celebrations.
“Aboriginal people have for a long time protesting this date, the original 1938 day of Mourning Right up until the 1988 massive bicentenary and this is all before Australia day became an official national celebration in 1994,” says Wailwan woman and creative producer Laura McBride.
“”We Stand Strong’ represents the resilience of Aboriginal people and Aboriginal culture since 1788 and so…on the eve of Invasion Day we thought we would open up the museum to facilitate conversations around the Aboriginal perspective on Australia national celebrations.”
