GARMA FESTIVAL, 5-9 AUGUST 2005
Key Forum (Indigenous Cultural Livelihoods), 6-8 August

REPORT ON THIS YEAR'S FESTIVAL (from the organisers)

Garma 2005 once again confirmed the event's status as:

• the nation's leading cultural exchange event;
• major cohesive force in bringing together non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians, and overseas visitors;
• a growing opportunity for the creation of economic opportunities for Yolngu;
• an intimate, spectacular entertaining celebration of cultural traditions and practices; and
• a model for authentic, insightful Indigenous tourism.

The successful seventh annual Garma Festival, attended by about 2000 people (about 1200 Yolngu and 800 non-Indigenous visitors), once again made the Yothu Yindi Foundation proud to be able to put on this unique and, we feel, vital event, as we again saw the delivery of positive social, cultural and economic outcomes - with more to come - and the achieving of the Foundation's goals for the event. Importantly, the Garma attendees, Yolngu and non-Indigenous alike, are reflecting that success in their positive and oft-repeated comments, expressing how different and life-changing their Garma experience was. Certainly, Garma 2005 contained new, special elements, plus the perennial variety of programs and enjoyable entertainment and social interaction opportunities, and other features:

• the exhilarating and inspiring nightly Bunggul
• a rewarding and ground-breaking key forum on Indigenous Cultural Livelihoods
• superb women's program with record attendances
• historic restoration of the Macassan links with Yolngu
• unique students' program
• another masterful Yidaki master class
• in-demand music workshops with great outcomes
• a series of superb musical and dance performances by a range of young (and not so young) artists
• new heights of employment and involvement of Yolngu
• further development of the National Indigenous Recording Project
• a brilliant collaborative art effort for the third Garma panel
• magnificent visual art presentations ... and a great gathering of artists
• a great gathering of political, community and corporate leaders
• the high-spirited overcoming of probably the first-ever two days of constant rain at Gulkula in the dry season.

Of course, such an event, in such a beautiful and special location is an enormous logistical, operational exercise, and every year we discover, or have thrust upon us, a new set of challenges and potential improvements - Garma 2005 was no exception, and we are already working on improvements to services and experiences for Garma visitors, and reviewing and clarifying all material and elements of the program to ensure maximum enjoyment and fulfilment from Garma, which next year (August 4-8) will feature the key forum theme of "Education & Training", again to be co-coordinated by Charles Darwin University, which did a superb job this year, led by Vice-Chancellor Helen Garnett.

And we want to specially thank all the Garma staff, volunteers, helpers, contractors, operational crew, Alcan staff helpers, and all the other people who make it possible to put on Garma, mindful the now very large but still very tight budget, and the fact that all revenues go directly to the operations of Garma and, if possible, other Yothu Yindi Foundation social, economic and cultural projects.

We are still living, breathing evidence of the sensibilities and issues which constitute, emerge from and have to be dealt with properly in putting together such a range of mini-events within an event, and such an exchange of knowledge and culture involving, on Yolngu land on Yolngu terms, so many people from different cultures and knowledge bases.

Through it all, the spirit of Garma - getting together for a "two way learning process" - shone through, as the sun did from around the exact time proceedings began on Friday 5 August.

The Yothu Yindi Foundation would once again like to thank the following for their fantastic support for Garma and for the other work of the Yothu Yindi Foundation:

PRINCIPAL PARTNERS

• Alcan
• The Christensen Fund
• The Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council (Australian Government)
• The Northern Territory Government especially
• Northern Territory Tourist Commission
• Arts NT
• NT Fleet
• Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET)
• Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development (DBERD)

PARTNERS

• Telstra Foundation
• National Geographic Channel

SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS

• TIO (Territory Insurance Office)
• APRA (Australian Performing Right Association Limited)
• AMCOS (Australian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society Limited)
• Minerals Council of Australia
• Rio Tinto Aboriginal Foundation
• Westpac
• Intelligent Risks Pty Ltd (security)
• Seven Central TV network
• Gilbert + Tobin Lawyers
• Toyota
• IGA