During the International Year of Indigenous Languages, it is great to see events like the Yarrabah Music and Cultural Festival bring people together to show the power of language, culture and music.
Funded through the Australian Government’s Festivals Australia program, it is a highlight for the region and an important showcase for work being done to promote language, according to Elverina Johnson, Yarrabah Music and Cultural Festival Producer.
‘Language means everything. It’s one part of the puzzle that keeps us connected to our country and connected to the people and the stories,’ Elverina said. ‘Here (in Yarrabah) we are fortunate we still have some form of our language and it is being taught in our schools as well,’
Yarrabah language teacher Nathan Schreiber said it is important that young people are exposed to language in both the classroom and community.
‘Language needs to passed on from generation to generation because without our language we don’t have our identity, we don’t have our connections,’ Nathan said.
‘Inspiration is all around us here. We just have to do our part in making sure that we keep doing what we need to keep culture alive and language alive,’ Elverina said.
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