A group of leaders from across the media industry spent last week in the Northern Territory for the Garma Festival, Australia's largest Indigenous gathering, a four-day celebration of life in Arnhem Land.
Here they share reflections on their experience of being immersed in Australia’s largest political and cultural Indigenous gathering, the lessons they learnt, and message for the industry when it comes to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation and investment in First Nations media.
The annual Garma Festival brings together around 2,500 people – from politicians including the prime minister Anthony Albanese, academics, legal experts, business leaders, education and health advocates, and foreign delegates - at Gulkula, a traditional ceremonial site for the Yolŋu people for thousands of years.
Hosted by the Yothu Yindi Foundation, Garma provides a vital platform for crucial and meaningful dialogue on Indigenous affairs, and celebrates the cultural, artistic and ceremonial traditions of the Yolŋu people.
The theme for this year was “Fire, Strength, Renewal" (Gurtha-Wuma Worrk-gu), and was the first major political forum focused on Indigenous affairs since the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and ahead of an impending federal election.
Conversations focused on the path to improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, centred in the lived experience of First Nations peoples, and reinforcing the role and responsibility of all Australians.
National Indigenous Television (NITV) is the official media supporter of the Festival and, with SBS, provides comprehensive coverage of the event to share all of the critical conversations, culture and ceremony with all Australians. From the key forums and speeches, to interviews with key players and politicians, and the daily Buŋgul (dance), the major moments of Garma are available to catch up on SBS On Demand.
Janice Morgan, Head of Investment, MAGNA Global
The Garma experience is incredible on so many diverse levels – cultural, educational, spiritual, inspirational, commercial, political, to name just a few. Every day provided authentic ways to immerse in the traditions of Indigenous culture, from women’s healing, to connecting with Indigenous leaders, to traditional art, culture, forums, music and dance. But overarchingly for me it was the warm welcomes, love and laughter, and rich connections to new family and friends I will cherish forever.
Australia has been too slow to change the national narrative around Indigenous affairs. As an industry, Garma is pivotal to providing an opportunity to develop our strategic approach and investment with First Nations media to positively impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Katy Eng, National Head of Diverse Media, Omnicom Media Group ANZ
When people tell you that Garma is a life changing experience, they are speaking truth. As someone who works with First Nations media daily, I was eager to take my knowledge of Indigenous communities, issues, cultures and belief systems to the next level and I believe that’s exactly what I got. From a marketing perspective, it was an important reminder that nearly one million Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are our current and future customers. They earn, spend, consume. Being on the Garma journey showed me firsthand the impact and influence of NITV in community. I watched for a week as fans with stars in their eyes asked for photos, selfies and cuddles from the team, proving that NITV are core influencers amongst communities and important partners for us when seeking to connect with Indigenous peoples.
From a personal perspective, Garma is a reminder that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are arguably our most important asset. Their history is richer and more integrated with other cultures than textbooks would have us believe. And the keys to so many of our modern, Western problems lie in their spirituality and strength.
From here, I feel a renewed strength to accurately represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to my relevant clients. We must continue to campaign for more representation of First Nations people and media within survey data, because marketers can’t market to those they can’t see. Supporting community media will continue to be a priority for me as the right thing for my clients, and my conscience.
Philippa Moig, Group Business Director, PHD
As “balandas”, we received the most beautiful and loving welcoming to Garma, which means “two way learning process”. The Yolŋu people shared their timeless knowledge, culture, language and Country with us. This fosters greater understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
In one of the most remote areas in this country, Garma and the NITV/SBS community built utter connectedness. Words cannot convey the power of the experience. It was deeply moving to listen, observe, and learn from the world’s oldest living continuous cultures on earth. We have a journey ahead that we must go on together as a nation. One that creates equity in education, economic prosperity, housing, infrastructure, jobs and we have a ways to go.
“We can only go forward, and forward we must go”, said Denise Bowden, CEO of the Yothu Yindi Foundation. For non-Indigenous Australians, the path forward will require an openness, a curiosity, a desire to listen and learn. This means seeking out places to truly see one another, to get to know one another. By doing this we create a nation built on understanding and compassion. Personally, I will have a renewed energy to striving toward allyship, working in ways that are community led, and in servitude of First Nations Peoples and voices to build a better future.
Ryan Menezes, CEO, GroupM Nexus
It was a privilege to attend Garma in remote northeast Arnhem Land. The only way I can describe Garma is a pilgrimage to celebrate cultural, artistic, and ceremonial traditions of the Yolŋgu people. Garma gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in Australia’s rich First Nations cultural heritage, experience traditional miny'tji (art), ancient storytelling, manikay (song) and buŋgul (dance). Yothu Yindi Foundation Chairman, Mr Djawa Yunupingu, talked about the importance of First Nations people having a voice in all places and spaces. He also had an optimistic vision in his speech, stating “after the fire, comes the rain and green shoots of new growth”. For me personally, I heard stories of the pain, the heartache and the trauma First Nations people have experienced and yet their resilience, perseverance and grit continues to drive them forward.
As a media industry we need to play our role in being inclusive when we speak to First Nations audiences. You can't be what you can't see, so it’s important that First Nations people feel seen in mass media and in our client’s brand strategies. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples represent 3.8% of the Australian population, however it’s estimated that less than 0.3% of advertising in Australia invested in media is dedicated to reaching these audiences. As an industry, we can work closely with our clients to contributing to a more inclusive future by reviewing our advertising investment in Australia’s Indigenous media platforms.
There’s an untapped opportunity to engage First Nations artists and content creators in brand and content partnerships that enable a distinct advantage for our clients and customers. We’ll look to integrate specific initiatives as part of our group content and influencer marketing strategies to bring this to life over the next few months.
Sam Buchanan, CEO, IMAA
As Australia's biggest gathering of First Nations culture and politics, the Garma Festival from the Yothu Yindi Foundation is a positive and inclusive celebration and encourages discussion about issues affecting Indigenous Australians. It was also the first Garma gathering following the Voice Referendum and an opportunity for First Nations people to regroup and look to the future. It was a privilege to attend the forums and panels, as well as immerse ourselves in the arts and culture against the beautiful backdrop of Arnhem Land. As an organisation, the IMAA has taken the first steps with our Reconciliation Action Plan and we are proud to show our support as an industry for Indigenous Australians through various initiatives.
One of the highlights for me was immersing myself in the cultural dance sessions at the Bungul and we were invited to dance on the final day - which frankly, my efforts were horrible to watch for others! Also, the astrology lessons at night and Uncle Mark Ella's daily early morning walks were incredible. Several forums and panels on the Indigenous economic outlook were fascinating. One of the main takeaways for me was the difficulty of navigating the post referendum world and how Australia can unite after such a divisive period and there were more questions than answers about it so far."
Santosh Murthy, Managing Director, IDENTITY Communications
Culture through art, expression, language, stories and attitude was omnipresent at Garma. We immersed ourselves and absorbed everything from the impassioned calls for a cohesive future society, through to learning about the impact of environmental issues on First Nations communities, and of course the red ochre got everywhere. The group bonded over a shared purpose, and I look forward to working with NITV and SBS, and my industry colleagues, to pioneer change and work towards Beyond 3%.
First Nations media is a space where Identity Communications, as diverse audience specialists are heavily invested in and will continue to advocate for the value of First Nations media in both a traditional marketing and community engagement perspective (for relevant brands). In terms of my role as an advocate as part of our RAP committee - we're also looking at how to make our industry a culturally safe place for increased First Nations participation - and the learnings from Garma will help with this objective as well.
Sue-Ellen Osborn, National Head of Investment, Spark Foundry
The lesson that most resonated with me after experiencing the Garma Festival is how important storytelling is to First Nations people. It is deeply ingrained into their communities, their kinship, their history and their entire being. Effective storytelling is one of the most powerful ways humans can connect with each other, and it is made even more powerful when that story is delivered in their own forum and languages.
After experiencing the Garma Festival with NITV, I want to challenge my team and clients to think about how they are meaningfully connecting with First Nations people through their media and marketing campaigns. If they don't have an environment on the plan that specifically represents Indigenous people, then they aren't reaching them as effectively as they could.
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