Australia – The Garma Festival of Traditional Culture will take place August 19-23, 2003. The festival is held at Gulkula, 40 kilometers outside of the town of Nhulunbuy on the Gove peninsula in Arnhem Land within the Northern Territory, Australia. This is the largest and most vibrant celebration of Yolngu (Aboriginal people of north east Arnhem Land) culture in recent memory.
Regarded as one of Australia’s most significant Indigenous festivals, the Garma Festival will attract around 20 clan groups from northeast Arnhem Land, as well as representatives from clan groups and neighboring Indigenous peoples throughout Arnhem Land and the Northern
Territory.
Yolngu culture in northeast Arnhem Land ‹ a heartland of Aboriginal culture and land rights ‹ is among the oldest living cultures on earth, stretching back more than 40,000 years. The Garma Festival is a celebration of the Yolngu cultural inheritance. The Garma ceremony is aimed at sharing knowledge and culture, and opening people¹s hearts to the message of the land at Gulkula. The festival is designed to encourage the practice, preservation and maintenance of traditional dance (bunggul), song (manikay), art and ceremony on Yolngu lands in North East Arnhem Land.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
