History Gets Remembered and Culture is Celebrated
This year’s National NAIDOC Awards are expected to be a huge success, with many amazing Indigenous Australians being recognized for their contributions to the community. The celebrations are held to be held between July 3rd and 10th, and they will honour everything from art and culture to health and education. Audiences can expect inspiring speeches and performances, but the highlight of the event will likely be the awards to hard-working individuals.
If you’ve not seen this event before, 2022 naidoc week will remember history and celebrate culture. It is a time for all Australians to reflect on the histories, cultures, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.Â
The theme for last year’s event was ‘Heal Country’. As a result, the idea was to resolve injustices that still exist in society while bringing attention the importance of Country and what this means to people in Australia.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to be Indigenous Australian to attend or enjoy NAIDOC Week celebrations. The event is open to everyone and offers a great opportunity to learn more about the world’s oldest living culture. So, mark the date in your diary and attend to experience everything that NAIDOC Week has to offer.
In life, it’s important to remember the past, appreciate the progress made, and celebrate all cultures. NAIDOC Week does all of this and more. Whether this would be your first time attending or you have seen the celebrations before, why not consider visiting in 2022?
Indigenous Week 2022
Why consider attending NAIDOC Week this year? Well, the theme is – Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! Many years ago, early Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities had to get up, stand up, and show up as resistance fighters and during the frontier wars. At the time, they were fighting for change. Today, we get to live in the world that they fought for, and this is important to celebrate.
This year, the event will concentrate on maintaining momentum for those fighting for change. Although it’s important to celebrate the past, it’s also crucial to keep looking towards the future. The event will showcase how far we’ve come and how much there is still to achieve. There will also be a focus on the need for younger generations to take up the mantle and fight for change in their own communities.
For example, just some of the causes under the spotlight will include:
- Constitutional change
- Cultural protections
- Environmental change
- Calling out racism
- Heritage protections
Awards During NAIDOC Week
Like in previous years, awards will be at the heart of NAIDOC Week. The main awards to be given to those in the community include:
- 2022 National NAIDOC Person Award
- 2022 National NAIDOC Male Elder
- 2022 National NAIDOC Female Elder
- 2022 National NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement
- 2022 National NAIDOC Youth Award
- 2022 National NAIDOC Sportsperson
However, there will also be four new awards to look forward to including Caring for Country and Culture, Creative Talent, Innovation, and Education.
About NAIDOC
NAIDOC is short for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. This is a committee that works to highlight the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as well as the history, culture, and issues that are important to them.
NAIDOC Week is held in early July each year (the first full week) and has been running in its current format since the mid-1970s. Although the pandemic has caused disruption for NAIDOC Week recently, you can expect it back and bigger than ever in 2022.
