The 2012 Saltwater Freshwater Festival at Queen Elizabeth Park, Taree, from 11am to 5pm on Australia Day, is guaranteed to please everyone. The day will feature music from Casey Donovan, Microwave Jenny, The Black Turtles and The Stiff Gins, as well as providing an opportunity to share and celebrate Aboriginal culture for all Australians.
“The Festival offers people not only entertainment from incredible musicians, but also the chance to discover Aboriginal culture, art, dance and food in an inclusive family environment,” said Festival Producer Sharna St Leon.
Workshops to be held on the day will include weaving, language, design, dance, didgeridoo and aerosol art. Did you know that weaving is a cultural practice traditional to Australia’s Eastern Seaboard? Festival goers can learn traditional weaving techniques in the weaving workshop, with senior weavers from the Boolarng Nangamai group.
Jeremy Saunders, Gathang language teacher & Birrbay man, said festival-goers would have a rare opportunity to immerse themselves in Aboriginal culture through language workshops.
“Gathang is the language of this land; it has been spoken in this area for thousands of years,” he said. In the Yilli design workshop people can design a motif and then convert it into a design screen, to be printed on a calico bag and onto decorative banners that will be hung throughout the Festival progressively during the day. There will be a chance to join the third year National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) graduates’ movement and contemporary Indigenous dance workshops on the Dancestry grounds on Australia Day. Following each performance by this dynamic young dance troupe, festival-goers will have the opportunity to participate in a 20 minute dance workshop.
And let’s not forget talented didgeridoo player and Gangga Marrang dancer Adam Russell, who will share the ancient sounds and techniques of the didgeridoo with men of all ages.
Ash Johnston will return with the urban craft of aerosol art. He will work with teens to create a massive graffiti mural masterpiece.
This year for the first time the ABC Open DreamBox will provide a place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to share their dreams in words and photos. Over 1000 dreams have been shared at Indigenous festivals around the country since March, 2011.
The Saltwater Freshwater Festival is sure to be a rich experience for all members of the family, so why not mark Thursday, January 26, in your diary and come along to discover your own talents as well as enjoy this important cultural event?
The Festival is the brainchild of the Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance Aboriginal Corporation, which is made up of the ten Local Aboriginal Land Councils from Karuah to Coffs Harbour.
Check out the website: www.saltwaterfreshwaterfestival.com.au
