The Brisbane Indigenous Media Association 98.9fm kicked off NAIDOC Week in the city’s West End today with an outdoor live broadcast by radio hosts and live performances from local artists.
Held at the popular Bunyapa Park, people gathered to listen and watch the show's hosts speak about NAIDOC Week and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's struggles and achievements.
Chief Executive Officer of BIMA, Jyi Lawton, told NITV News that his organisation really wanted to celebrate NAIDOC Week through Indigenous music and by playing outside, an invitation was extended to anyone walking past on the street.
“We really wanted to celebrate Indigenous music and that powerful role that music plays in our culture as well in terms of storytelling,” said Mr Lawton.
“It’s important for us to be active here in community with our feet on the ground and Bunyapa Park [central West End] - what a special place to have it.
“It's good to have a broadcast out here to highlight NAIDOC Week, particularly given that it was put off from July, so now we’re celebrating here in November."
Tribal Experiences opened the day with a Welcome to Country, and Shannin Ruska, a performer in the group, said NAIDOC Week was a chance for non-Indigenous and Indigenous people to learn about the diverse range of mobs there are and how culture is different everywhere.
Dan Rennie, Troy 'Jungaji' Brady, Kuiyam Stuurman, Cloe Terare and Elijah Blair. Source: Dan Rennie (BIMA 98.9fm)
“NAIDOC is a celebration of all the different Aboriginal cultural backgrounds...we all have our own individual systems and beliefs and different totems and lores that govern our different societies,” Mr Ruska told NITV News.
“It's a celebration of learning as well...not only for the non-Indigenous communities but for our communities as well, as I mentioned, we speak different languages
“There’s quite a diverse range of our different mobs even though we’re all connected, there's so many diverse and different mobs in South-East Queensland alone.”
This year due to coronavirus, all major events that would normally take place in the city have been cancelled.
Crowds typically gather in the thousands to celebrate NAIDOC Week in Brisbane, however, this year will see small individual celebrations across different communities occur around the state.
