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Getting ready for Garma Festival

07 July 2023
Media Release

The Albanese Government is providing $775,000 in funding over two years to the Yothu Yindi Foundation to host the Garma Festival, one of the country’s premier cultural events.

The Garma Festival is a world renowned four day event in northeast Arnhem Land, held on the Gumatj Bunggul (dance) ground of Gulkula, 

The festival is an important meeting place for the five clan groups and families of the region and draws thousands of visitors from across the country to celebrate Yolngu culture.

'Garma' in Yolngu Matha means "two-way learning process” and this year’s festival from 4-7 August will provide an opportunity to showcase traditional miny’tji (art), manikay (song), bunggul (dance) and story-telling.

The preparation for the four day event brings long-term economic benefits for the Yolngu in education, training, employment and remote Indigenous community development.

This year’s event will be the first since the passing of one of the founders of the festival Gumatj leader Yunupingu, a giant in the land rights movement and long-time advocate for constitutional recognition.

Yunupingu warmly welcomed the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese at last year’s Garma Festival, when he outlined the path forward towards a referendum on a Voice to Parliament.

Event information for Garma Festival 2023 is available on the Yothu Yindi Foundation website, www.yyf.com.au

Quotes attributable to Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney:

“The Yothu Yindi Foundation does a truly remarkable job in delivering the Garma Festival each year.

“One of the founders of the Festival, the late Gumatj leader Yunupingu, will be greatly missed at this year’s event but his words live on that ‘the future is our responsibility’.

“I look forward to Garma 2023 as an opportunity for attendees to practice “two way learning” as we continue towards what may be the biggest year for Indigenous Affairs since the 1967 referendum.”