AWAYE! celebrates 21 years on the air at ABC Radio National.

Eight Indigenous leaders from the arts and music will feature in a month-long celebration to mark the coming of age of ABC Radio National’s ground-breaking Aboriginal arts and culture program, AWAYE!  

Starting on Saturday 3 August at 6pm, with an exclusive live recording of Gurrumul and the Sydney Symphony orchestra, the program will feature a month-long series of talks and performances by prominent Indigenous leaders including singer-songwriter, Archie Roach, artist and provocateur, Richard Bell, and Chair of the Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council, Lydia Miller.

An award-winning program, AWAYE! is Australia’s only national Indigenous arts and culture show, produced and presented by Aboriginal broadcasters Lorena Allam, Daniel Browning, and Rico Adjrun.

Lorena Allam, an integral part of AWAYE!’s 21-year history, said the program was initially commissioned for one year and said: “Nobody expected we would still be going strong, 21 years later. “We’ve produced thousands of stories documenting the dynamic and diverse nature of Indigenous art and cultural practice in Australia, won a slew of awards, provided a training ground for dozens of Indigenous broadcasters and discovered emerging artists, musicians, actors and writers, who are now household names. Happy 21st birthday to all of you!”

Presenter Daniel Browning says, “AWAYE! signposts important cultural moments, drawing on the past and honouring our heroes. We say we stand on the shoulders of giants, and this is vitally important as we continue to tell our stories.”

And for every year AWAYE! has been on air, RN will give away a copy of Gurrumul: His Life and Music by Robert Hillman, to listeners who share with RN, a moment in Indigenous cultural history that has had a significant impact on them.

For more information visit the AWAYE! website.