Bringing together legendary and rising First Nations musical-activists, BLAKTIVISM explores and highlights the Black Lives Matter movement in an Australian context.
If you are based in Meeanjin, you may have heard of Gaba Musik’s concert, BLAKTIVISM. The show will be held at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre on Monday the 16th May at 7:00pm.
Featuring in the show, Bart Willoughby, Emma Donovan, Kristal West, BARKAA, Tasman Keith, Ancestress, Sprigga Mek and Sorong Samarai. This legendary line-up of Artists have been brought together by First Nations Arts organisation, Gaba Musik, which is directed by Deline Briscoe (Creative Director) and Airileke Ingram (Musical Director) who will also join the stage.
BLAKTIVISM was the showcase to launch the beginning of Gaba Musik back in 2021 when they performed at the Sydney Myer Music Bowl.
Briscoe told Colour Box Studio that now is the time for Blak voices to be on stages like QPAC:
“It’s time for FIRST Nations led companies like Gaba Musik to partner with state art institutions like QPAC to amplify Blak voices! By doing this Gaba Musik can continue practicing our living culture within our music industry honouring our living legends, amplifying Blak excellence and setting the stage with the next generation on fire”.
Deline Briscoe, in an interview with Colour Box Studio.
Briscoe and Ingram have both worked in the industry for over twenty years and have learned that they want to start taking control over the way their culture and stories are curated on the stage.
“We’ve been in the industry for a long time and we felt the need to start running things the way we like to runnings things. The industrialisation of our culture is a real thing and it influences our cultural development and musical expression. We wanted to be a bit more pro-active with the way things happen [in this industry]”.
Airileke Ingram. Interview with the National Indigenous Television Australia, 2021.
Tickets can be purchased here for an opportunity to see this incredible line-up of artists and celebrate some of Australia’s most legendary First Nations activist-musicians.