Aboriginal remote communities have been closed to the outside world for weeks amid the coronavirus crisis, designated as biosecurity areas and locked down for their own safety with non-essential visitors banned.

In the top end, it means big festivals such as Garma are cancelled and important cultural gatherings are not allowed, which is a blow for employment and tourism, but more importantly is a major interruption to cultural life.

So artists in north-east Arnhem Land are giving free performances online instead, with live music and bunggul (dance) to keep people connected.

'I am frightened': Indigenous people return to homelands to wait out coronavirus Read more

Yirrmal Marika is the son of Witiyana Marika, manikay singer for Yothu Yindi and an accomplished singer-songwriter in his own right.

“We sing stories about the country, what we feel and what we have been told by our elders, and that’s what we’re sharing,” Marika says, on the phone from Nhulunbuy.

Play Video 1:48 Indigenous artists perform live concert series from East Arnhem Land amid Covid-19 – video trailer

“We want non-Indigenous people to look not just at the surface but under the surface at what we believe in country, and there’s so many stories in there, have been there more than thousands of years back, going back to the time before the Europeans arrived.”



Marika said being on country is a protective factor for Yolngu at a time when people are very worried about Covid-19.

“It gives us strength, this country, while there’s a bad time. There’s a lot of people that are wanting to evacuate the community and go out to the bush where they belong, where I’m from, because a lot of people are not from here [Nhulunbuy] but we come here because of the township.

“We have our own places that we can unite, self-isolate and socially distance and just be in the country and do what our elders used to do in our own places, and get tucker and stay healthy and safe.”

Yirrmal said when he’s been in town to visit his mum and dad, “sitting outside playing piano, singing songs” he sees lots of kids out on their bikes. Yolngu are finding social distancing challenging.

“So you say, OK, there is the virus going on and it can get here any second, it can travel from anywhere, someone can come in from interstate and could infect the whole community, but the message we have been sending is keep safe, wash your hands, stay at home, look after each other.

“We people are all connected, we live together, we share everything, and it’s very important to the people, and that’s what the kids are probably seeing.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Yirrmal Marika, Rirratjingu singer-songwriter. Photograph: Leicolhn McKellar

The live concerts were the idea of Yolngu radio, which wanted to create content to share between communities cut off by social distancing, travel restrictions and the cancellation of dry-season gigs and festivals that would normally provide income for local artists.



Yolngu radio broadcasts to all six north-east Arnhem Land communities and 15 remote homelands, communicating strong health messaging around safety, hand washing and hygiene.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Andrew Gurruwiwi, Yolngu Radio broadcaster, musician and son of legendary Galpu clan songman Djalu Gurruwiwi, will perform live with his band.

“Elders are really scared because the virus would impact them and they have great knowledge to teach us, for the next generation who will stand strong in this part of the country,” Yirrmal Marika said.

“And they see that Arnhem Land is the most beautiful country and they see we are lucky enough that we still have language here in this part of the country, so that’s why we all have to be aware of it and really alert.”

Live streams begin Saturday evening.