Hey, how's it going?
We just covered Bob Marley
with Archie Roach for Like A Version.
I think it was just really sick
to be around Archie.
As an artist he's been a trailblazer
for Indigenous artists and First Nations people.
He's one of our most profound storytellers
to ever be able to grace our shores and our country.
So, to be able to be in his presence and work with him
on Like A Version was amazing, you know.
He's done so much for us and our communities
and inspired so many of us.
He was the soundtrack to my childhood
and I can remember days of listening
to him as a young child.
So for me to be here, and be in the same room
and in his presence is such a thrill.
He's been able to travel this whole country to all different
communities and mobs and clans
and connect and bring us together.
I'm a Tulampanga Pakana man from
Northern Lutruwita which is beautiful, sunny Tasmania.
Over the years he's ventured down
to our beautiful island home and graced us with his presence.
And he just seems to have this ability
to bring people together.
I'm a Kamilaroi Wiradjuri woman from South West Sydney on Dharawal land.
Yeah, I'm a Larrakia Kungarrakany and
Thursday Island boy from the Torres Strait.
I don't think I could be any further away
from where Uncle Archie's mob are from but
everytime I hear him, I feel such a connection to him.
I honestly felt like I was going to cry
when he started singing ‘Redemption Song’.
I just felt like it really hit me.
I don't know, something about his voice
that is just so powerful.
And I just felt like when I was listening to it
I was just like "Oh, please don't cry.”
The band and himself let us kind of
put our own take on things.
He just gave us creative freedom, which was really dope.
I grew up learning and being taught
to always pay homage and pay respect
to the old people that walked before us.
I guess they walked so we could run in some sense.
Some of the names that even our generation
have probably forgotten about, like
Uncle Kevin Perkins and Auntie Oodgeroo Noonuccal
and Aunty Pat O’Shane.
These amazing activists and people that have
done so much for us.
It's kind of like a family vibe.
That's what it felt like being here today.
You know, even when we were rehearsing
you know, Uncle Archie coming in
it's just like a sense of warmth.
He just has this presence where you feel
even if you felt nervous or whatever you felt before, anxious.
As soon as he stepped in to start singing
you just feel
I just feel relaxed.
I think it was a beautiful flow and journey
starting with 'Redemption Song'
just hearing Uncle Archie
really stripped back and really vulnerable
like that is super.
It's just real Uncle Archie.
'Get Up, Stand Up', the song that we finished with
beautifully aligns with the theme of NAIDOC
NAIDOC Week for 2022.
And I think for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
it's such a powerful message because
for as long as we can remember, our identities have been
challenged in this country for a long time.
So to be able to sit here as three, plus Uncle Archie
four First Nations artists and perform
and express ourselves in our true form
is a powerful message for younger
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
and all Aborginal Torres Strait Islander people
around the country as well.
To be proud of who you are
to get up and stand up and be strong
First Nations people.
The most important part about NAIDOC Week
isn't the week itself, it's what happens
when the week finishes and we go back
into our lives and we translate what we learnt from that week
into the other 51 weeks of the year.
So it's been beautiful to share this moment with Becca
and my brother boy Marlon and we'll see you next time.
Peace.
Happy NAIDOC.
🎵 Get up, stand up
🎵 Don’t give up the fight