BLAKTIVISM, a powerful one-night-only concert event celebrating First Nations musical activism, is set to return to Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall on Friday, 22 November 2024. Presented by Gaba Musik, ALWAYS LIVE, and Arts Centre Melbourne, this year’s event will feature a headline performance by Baker Boy, alongside a diverse lineup of First Nations artists from across Australia.
The concert will include performances by established and emerging First Nations artists such as Bart Willoughby, Yirrmal, Deline Briscoe, Yung Warriors, Selwyn Burns, Robbie Thorpe, Kulin Nation Songwomen, Suga Cane Mamas, Tasman Keith, and Brothers in Arms. Sprigga Mek (PNG) and other special guests will also join the lineup in this self-determined event.
Now in its fourth year, BLAKTIVISM aims to honour Blak activist movements through music, art, and performance. This year’s theme, “Holding Koorie Space,” pays tribute to Koorie families who have fought to retain their land and voice over the years. The event will open with a special performance by the Kulin Nation Songwomen, who will honour their matriarchal ancestors through ceremonial song.
Artistic Director and performer Deline Briscoe expressed enthusiasm for this year’s event, stating:
This year I’ve brought together some of my favourite people for BLAKTIVISM 2024. They’re gonna blow the roof off Hamer Hall while celebrating the wins of Koorie Artivists, standing together as one mob in the spirit of Blak Musik!
At the core of our fight is love for people and land. In the spirit of gratitude BLAKTIVISM holds space for the many Koorie families who faced the forces of the frontier wars and held back tyranny for many inland nations
This event is part of ALWAYS LIVE, a 17-day state-wide celebration of contemporary live music supported by the Victorian Government through Visit Victoria.
