Five Ways to Celebrate NAIDOC Week in 2020

Here's everything you need to know.

NAIDOC week is officially here and it’s the best chance for you to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander culture, achievements, heritage and recognise our First Nations people as the custodians of our country and the oldest surviving culture on the planet.

NAIDOC week is also a great chance for us all to learn about Indigenous history and hear Indigenous voices and perspectives.

Standing for 'National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance', NAIDOC week's origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920s and became an official week-long event in 1975. (Today, 'Aborigines' is considered an outdated and derogatory term. It is recommended that the term is not used.)

This year, NAIDOC week and all its celebrations are being held between 8 and 15 November, so here are five great ways for you to get involved in the celebrations.

1. Official NAIDOC week events

Your first stop for NAIDOC week is definitely the official NAIDOC website. Here you can learn all about the history of NAIDOC week and find out about all the local events happening near you.

On the website’s NAIDOC week events page you can search and filter exhibitions, challenges, stories of country and find events happening at museums and university campuses all over the country.

You can also follow NAIDOC week on their social media platforms to hear from Indigenous speakers.

This is a great way to celebrate Indigenous artists, storytellers and hear about Indigenous experience all week long.

2. Film and television

If you’re hoping to stay home this NAIDOC week, you can still celebrate Indigenous Australians by exploring Australian film and television that represents Indigenous culture and highlights Aboriginal voices.

Netflix released a super helpful list on their socials to help you find Australian film and TV that is perfect for this week.

Their list features well known movies like The Sapphires and Rabbit-Proof Fence as well as informative and witty shows like Going Places with Ernie Dingo and Black Comedy.

You can also explore Indigenous media on free-to-air television on NITV, SBS ON DEMAND and ABC iview.

Image: Netflix via Facebook

3. Music

A great way to support and celebrate Indigenous artists this NAIDOC week is to listen to music by Indigenous musicians.

You can do this at home by streaming music on Spotify or Apple Music from some of your favourite Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islander musicians and bands, or you can attend a virtual concert featuring Indigenous artists.

This year, a special Isol-Aid music festival will be held in celebration of NAIDOC week featuring artists like Booc Kid, Monica Karo, The Struggling Kings and many more.

The festival will be held on 14 November as a socially distanced Instagram live, so anyone can attend. You can find out all about the festival here.

4. Online workshops

Additionally, you can find workshops on cultural awareness and inclusivity online. These are an excellent way to become more informed at school, uni and work.

Eventbrite has a tonne of seminars, workshops, classes and conferences to help you become more informed on language, culture and country in everyday life.

You can also find a bunch of story and art events online that might not be on the NAIDOC website.

5. Learn and study

If you can’t make it to an event, virtual workshop or online festival, you can always support NAIDOC week by taking the time to do your own personal research on Indigenous history.

Perhaps you could consider learning about the traditional Indigenous landowners of your area or find out about Indigenous history online.

You can use the NAIDOC website as a starting point but there are heaps of sources that will be happy to help you learn and develop your cultural awareness.

You can even follow Indigenous brands like Clothing The Gap on social media to learn more about our First Nations people and how you can best celebrate this week with all your friends and family.

Header Image: Darrian Traynor via Getty Images