iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

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Randin

This is the Mic clip/bracet I was on about on a different forum have a look and see what you think?

Nice Randy, good idea I reckon.

As we briefly touched upon in emails, it would be great to get behind this initiative. I guess the things need knowing are what is the vision, the objectives? What does Mulka do/intend to do and how is it going to do it? The big question in my mind, as with all other projects in remote Indigneous communities, is what mechanisms are in place to ensure sustainability and continuity into the future?

This is very exciting stuff though, its like the G3 of Yirrkala

Guan

Unbelievable. I just wrote a massive manifesto, practically a whole funding application and feasability report, then had a little computer slip up and lost it. To recap...

Ummm... I said that we'll have a website by the end of the week that answers some of your questions and that we've got commitments of funding to cover wages and operating costs for at least two years, probably three if December's Westpac Foundation trustees meeting comes down in our application's favour. So in terms of sustainability, the most important of your questions, I'd say we've got staff and community commitment as well as financial stability for at least 3 years, a good chance of extending that support if our backers remain happy with our progress, and good plans to develop products (CD, DVD, books, websites) and services (translation, cultural education, media services, facility rental) to make us more self-sustainable. Money given to us for specific achievable goals such as CD production in the next few years will not be money wasted.

While one big task is to build an archive of all the old documenation by outsiders that we can get and have all that stuff accessible to the community here, our most fundamental aim is employment and empowerment. Unlike most jobs for Yolngu around the community, the Mulka job of working with modern multimedia technology is actually one that scores of non-Yolngu people would actually want and be respected for doing! The day is coming for creative and employable Yolngu multimedia professionals. We've already had one admittedly simple short film get into a festival and made one ABC film crew jealous with our level of access to information and communication with Yolngu interviewees, and will soon replace them altogether in our area. As in, either we will produce usable material for news and special interest programs or we will have a crew including interpretive services that outside professional producers can hire. The number of outsiders with cameras and recording equipment that come through here doing their own projects about Yolngu is just plain ridiculous, and very little of it has any value because it's not based on any real connection to Yolngu and their issues. I've seen some incredible lights turn on when Yolngu come to the Mulka Project, see professional equipment in Yolngu hands, and realise they can tell their own stories to the world or even just to each other for a change.

As I said before, while we have secured our future in terms of wages and basic operating costs, we need more money for to actually DO STUFF like the obvious CD production, travel within Arnhem Land and to interstate events like the film festival 'Lost Boy Found' is playing in, to training opportunities like an intensive editing workshop our film trainers are doing in Sydney early next year, etc. We have schemes as grand as feature films, but of course are just seeking funding for what's doable and beneficial for the community now.

I hope that answers most of your questions for now. The website will include highlights of what we've done so far, a list of projects on the go and partnerships that are making it exciting.

There's still bits of work to be done, but it's close enough, so the Mulka website's going live now at
http://www.yirrkala.com/mulka
Randin

Fantastic looking site, Randy- and seeing bits of the Mulka Centre makes me very excited to be a part of this!

Excellent work all around Randy! Looks terrific! Congratulations and continued success!

Peace,

Looks wonderful and very promising,
Congratulations!

Mahir

Very very good work!

Søren Dahl

Heh Randin,

Congratulations to the team and the staff - this is a great looking facility and the projects thus far are to be commended. Good on you mate and best wishes - I hope one day to be able to drop by for a visit and I'm looking forward to purchasing and hearing the results of all this fine effort !

Randin:

I am still awaiting word on my Fulbright grant to the region. My project is congruent with your ideas of creating CDs from each outpost. In fact, that is the ultimate goal of my proposal. If I am funded to carry out said project, I would be delighted to donate all material to the Mulka Project. I will keep you updated as to the status of my Fulbright.

Eliot