How You Can Celebrate NAIDOC Week in 2022
NAIDOC Week for 2022 is here. Running from July 3 through to July 10, this annual celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is an Australia-wide event and one that we can all stand to learn from.
For 2022, the theme for NAIDOC Week is Get up! Stand Up! Show Up! And according to the official website, this theme is rooted in a “need to move beyond just acknowledgement, good intentions, empty words and promises, and hollow commitments. Enough is enough”.
“The relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians needs to be based on justice, equity, and the proper recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights,” it reads.
NAIDOC Week for 2022 kicked off on July 3 with the National NAIDOC Week Awards Ceremony in which First Nations individuals were recognised for their outstanding contributions.
Ash Barty, Buddy Franklin and Elijah Manis were among those who walked away with awards this year.
NAIDOC Week in 2022: How to celebrate
There are loads of brilliant events running in 2022 to celebrate NAIDOC Week. It’s a particularly exciting one because with reduced COVID-19 restrictions many celebrations are able to run as they normally would once again.
Some examples include:
- Beyond the Bars 2022: 3CR Community Radio broadcasts from six Victorian prisons during NAIDOC Week 4-8 July 2022.
- The Virtual Indigenous Film Festival: features four award-winning Australian films; Araatika: Rise Up!, Off Country, Wash My Soul in the River’s Flow and Where the Water Starts.
- NAIDOC Week Art Exhibition: From Monday, July 4 at 12:00 pm Sheldon & Investa in North Sydney launch a week-long NAIDOC art exhibition featuring local First Nations Artists.
- NAIDOC Week at Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne: Celebrate NAIDOC Week 2022 with cultural activities.
- West Arnhem NAIDOC events: In Jabiru, NAIDOC Week will officially open with a Welcome to Country, flag raising ceremony and free community lunch on Monday, 4 July. Events will continue through the week.
- NAIDOC WEEK Poster exhibition: Libraries Tasmania – West Coast Libraries invites the West Coast community and visitors to our libraries to view an inspiring collection of NAIDOC posters.
- NAIDOC Afternoons in the Theatre: From Monday, July 4 through to July 8, the National Library Theatre will screen stories of those who have lived ‘Get up, Stand up, Show up’.
- Dharawal Guided Indigenous Walk – Women’s Walk to Minerva Pool NSW: Join this unique tour and discover the Dharawal National Park guided by Aboriginal Discovery Rangers on Saturday, July 9, 2022 – from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm.
- Gold Coast Titans NAIDOC Community Event: On July 6, 10:00 am you can check out the Titans NAIDOC Event run in partnership with Kalwun Health Corporation and Deadly Choices. Over 50 community, corporate and government organisations provide information and benefits while kids’ activities and performances keep everyone entertained.
There are loads more to check out, so visit the NAIDOC Week website to find out what events are happening near you this week.
Other celebrations happening this week
One particularly cool promotion running throughout NAIDOC Week for 2022, is Pinterest’s spotlighting of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creators across Australia.
Pinterest has asked creators on the platform to showcase what the theme Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! means to them. First Nations creatives with backgrounds in food, fashion, culture and beyond have shared their gifts with the community and it’s a delight to explore.
Some names and businesses that Pinterest has specifically highlighted this week include:
- Nardurna
- Clothing the Gaps
- Gammin Threads
- Yarli Creative
- Haus of Dizzy
- K-Rae Designs
- Kirrikin
You can look through the work of these talented creators as well as learn about the achievements of many other First Nations people; find books to read; discover fashion designers to obsess over and find new brands to shop from across the entire week.
If you’d like to go further than learn about the incredible work of these creators, however, it’s well worth checking out the NAIDOC Week Shop and investing your money in some Indigenous art, fashion or accessories.
Want more? How about some First Nations tunes?
Moving beyond Pinterest, there are a handful of exciting events happening in music for NAIDOC Week. (and beyond). Triple j’s First Nations show, Blak Out features only Indigenous artists – well worth a listen this NAIDOC Week. You can listen to that here.
For 2022, Westfield partnered with NAIDOC Week to create an Apple Music playlist featuring First Nations artists like Jessica Mauboy and The Kid LAROI.
NAIDOC Week itself also launched a specially-curated Spotify playlist for the event in 2021 featuring the likes of Baker Boy, Briggs and Thelma Plum. Give it another listen this year.
Additionally, you can check out this Blak Australia playlist curated by Emily Nicol Cover and Thelma Plum.
This article has been updated since its original publish date to reflect the events running for NAIDOC Week 2022.
The post How You Can Celebrate NAIDOC Week in 2022 appeared first on Lifehacker Australia.
