The theme for today’s Indigenous Literacy Day (ILD) 2024 – Wednesday 4 September – is Be a Proud Voice for Country and to celebrate, the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) is collaborating with the Sydney Opera House with to present a free FILM and LIVESTREAM book launch at 10.30am AEST. Registrations are free.
ILD is an annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Stories, Cultures, and Languages and the Be a Proud Voice for Country theme explores the significance of Country, through many proud voices.
ILF CEO Ben Bowen describes this year’s theme as “a continuation of the practice of culture held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples speaking on behalf of Country as the Custodians”.
“To ‘Be a Proud Voice for Country’ is as diverse as the many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples,” Bowen says.
“Some of their stories have been captured on the pages of the three books launching on ILD. This year we celebrate the many languages and cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and their continued role as the voice for Country.”
Exploring First Nations’ Communities
ILF Ambassador Jessica Mauboy will introduce a 15-minute FILM, which takes viewers into three First Nations’ Communities to learn about their unique stories, cultures and languages.
“I am so proud to be an Indigenous Literacy Foundation Ambassador and support the incredible
programs they run in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities,” says Mauboy.
“Stories are so important. Sharing stories, songs, and keeping the fire of culture alive is so important to who I am. These deadly stories from First Nations Communities keep culture and language alive.”
Viewers will learn about Dreaming stories from the riverbank in Cunnamulla in Queensland; join teenagers as they explore culture through poetry and art in Vincentia in New South Wales; and hear powerful stories and songs from children and Elders on the Tiwi Islands in Northern Territory.
Join in the online celebration
Immediately following the film’s screening, the Sydney Opera House is home to an online celebration with ILF Ambassadors Mauboy, Bianca Hunt, Gregg Dreise, Josh Pyke, Justine Clarke and others for a celebration of music, dance, art, language and storytelling.
“This is my first ILD and I can’t wait to be involved,” says the livestream host and ILD Ambassador Bianca Hunt.
“It is such an important day to highlight First Nations’ authors and Communities and ensure our kids have access to reading.”
About the Indigenous Literacy Foundation
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) is a national charity working with remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities across Australia. They are Community-led, responding to requests from remote Communities for culturally relevant books, including early learning board books, resources, and programs to support Communities to create and publish their stories in languages of their choice. Their work in literacy and Indigenous publishing has recently received international recognition by winning the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA), highlighting the significant impact the ILF are making on Indigenous literacy
and publishing. In 2023, they gifted 116,400 culturally relevant books to 423 remote Communities through their Book Supply program.
About Indigenous Literacy Day
Founded by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, Indigenous Literacy Day (ILD), is an annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Stories, Cultures, and Languages, held on the first Wednesday of September. ILD shares the diversity of First Nations Languages and Cultures with audiences across Australia.
A commitment to educational content
In the past financial year, Stuart Buchanan, Sydney Opera House Head of Screen, says the Sydney Opera House has “proudly delivered over 100 Digital Creative Learning events to more than 350,000 students across over 4,400 schools”.
“Our ongoing collaboration with the Indigenous Literacy Foundation allows us to further our commitment to providing educational content that highlights and honours the rich and diverse stories and knowledge of First Nations peoples and cultures.”
Students’ stories showcased
For the first time, three new bilingual books published by the ILF will be launched at the Sydney Opera House on ILD, with students from these Communities travel to the event to be part of the action.
Two of these books were written by Indigenous students in years seven-10 at Vincentia High School on the South Coast of NSW. They were created during workshops with proud Gunai Woman, author and award-winning multidisciplinary artist Kirli Saunders (OAM) and visual arts teacher and proud Dharawal woman Jaz Corr.
ngayawanj bagan-nggul, ngayawanj barra barra-unggul (we belong to the land, we belong to the sea) is a collection of poems and stories in Dhurga and English.
bagan, barra barra, mirriwarr (The Boys Who Found Their Way), was written by Tyran Uddin and Kayden Wellington. They meet with animals of the bagan (land), barra barra (sea) and (mirriwarr) sky, who teach them about being on Country, connecting to the land and to each other.
“These books are the culmination of years of Community dedication and perseverance to revive the Dhurga
language,” says Aunty Gai Brown, Aboriginal Education Coordinator at Vincentia High and Wreck Bay Community member.
“It is the first time our Community kids have had the opportunity to express their connection to the land and
waterways of their Country using the traditional language of their ancestors. The books are a visual delight with artworks completed by the students telling these same stories visually. It is a proud moment for our school and Community and we cannot thank the ILF enough for giving us this opportunity to showcase our language and culture to a wider audience.”
Yalta Ngayuku Papa? (Where’s My Dog?) is a picture book written by students of Tjuntjuntjara Remote
Community School, home of the Spinifex people, located in the Great Victoria Desert in Western Australia. The book was produced in a workshop with Scottish writer Stewart Ennis and Community consultant and artist Ange Leech. The book is written in both English and Pitjantjatjara and invites readers into one of Australia’s most remote Communities.
“There are a lot of dogs in Tjuntjuntjara and the children’s dogs all had these fantastic names – Wi-Fi, One-Side, Army Girl, and so on,” says Ennis.
“That was interesting enough, but then they began to draw their dogs, and these dog pictures were so full with character … but one of the most important characters in the book is Country itself, so it makes sense that each page of the book is framed by the images of the Tjuntjuntjara red dirt earth.”
