Naidoc Week: Celebrating Australian Indigenous Culture

The Australian Embassy is proud to announce Australia’s celebration of NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islanders’ Day Observance Committee) Week from 5-12 July 2009.

NAIDOC Week is held in July every year as a way of promoting greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and culture and to celebrate the survival of Indigenous culture and the Indigenous contribution to modern Australia.

The theme for NAIDOC Week 2009 is "Honouring Our Elders, Nurturing Our Youth" which aims to encourage communities to acknowledge the status of Elders as leaders and role models for our youth.

In recognition of NAIDOC Week, the Embassy will be hosting on Friday 10 July a presentation and film screening on Australian Indigenous issues for a group of Indonesian post-graduate students. In January this year the Embassy also launched Dreaming Stories, an Australian Indigenous Cultural Festival. The Festival featured award-winning Australian Indigenous films and BALGO, an exhibition of contemporary Aboriginal art from the Balgo Hills region of remote Western Australia.

NAIDOC Week also commemorates Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s historic formal apology in February last year issued to Indigenous Australians. Although the apology was to all Australian Indigenous people, it was particularly directed towards those who as children were forcibly removed from their families under laws and policies of previous governments (known as the “Stolen Generations”).

The National Apology was a powerful act of reconciliation and national healing. The Australian Government is committed to building a genuine, sustained and constructive engagement and partnership with Indigenous people. The Apology has helped to start to build that trust and good faith.

For further information on NAIDOC Week 2009 please visit: http://www.naidoc.org.au/NAIDOC-about/naidoc.aspx

Media Enquiries:
Toby Lendon (Press Attache) tel. (021) 2550 5290 hp. 0811 187 3175