By Ella Archibald-Binge
Singer-songwriter Yirrmal Marika, grandson of the former lead singer of Yothu Yindi, will perform as part of a virtual concert series to promote Yolngu culture.
A new virtual concert series will offer a rare window into one of Australia's most culturally rich Indigenous communities.
The stunning natural scenery and rich Aboriginal culture of East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory draws around 20,000 tourists to one of the most remote corners of Australia each year.
Tourism is the lifeblood for the local Yolngu people, who are passionate about sharing their cultural traditions, but the industry has all but collapsed after strict travel restrictions barred all non-essential travel to the region to protect Indigenous communities from the spread of COVID-19.
Concerts will be broadcast from iconic tropical locations at sunset.
Several major festivals have been cancelled, leaving performers and Indigenous tourism providers in the lurch.
In a bid to bolster support, Yolngu Radio and non-profit economic development company Developing East Arnhem Limited have commissioned an online concert series, East Arnhem Live, to bring a slice of Yolngu culture to lounge rooms across Australia.
"It supports our local artists who have been affected, but also provides an opportunity to promote our beautiful region to a broader audience," said Jordy Bowman, CEO of Developing East Arnhem.
"Everyone obviously understands the need to protect the residents of the region and stop coronavirus from getting here, but obviously [there are] a lot of disappointed people who were looking forward to a really strong tourism season."
Featuring many local Indigenous musicians and dancers, the sunset concerts will be broadcast from iconic tropical locations.
East Arnhem Land has long been fertile ground for talented artists, producing top musical acts, including Yothu Yindi and the late Gurrumul Yunupingu.
Among the slate of performers is singer-songwriter Yirrmal Marika, grandson of former Yothu Yindi lead singer Dr M Yunupingu.
"It is important for the Yolngu people to share the culture about this part of the region," Mr Marika said.
"What we see in our heart and in our eye, and we've been practising for thousands of years ... it's still here. It's rich and beautiful."
The weekly series will air on Saturday nights on East Arnhem Land's social media accounts.
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