- NAIDOC Week (2-9 July) is a chance to celebrate the histories, cultures, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- The 2023 theme, For Our Elders, invites reflection on the wisdom and guidance of Elders in communities
- Key landmarks across Queensland will light up in the colours of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags
Queenslanders are being invited to celebrate the histories, cultures, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as part of NAIDOC Week 2023.
This year's theme, For Our Elders, invites Queenslanders to reflect on the wisdom and teachings of Elders within the community and celebrate the oldest continuous living cultures in the world.
The winner of the prestigious National NAIDOC Week Poster Competition for 2023 is Bobbi Lockyer, a proud Ngarluma, Kariyarra, Nyulnyul and Yawuru artist, born and based on Kariyarra Country in Port Hedland, with her entry, For Our Elders.
As part of Queensland celebrations, local landmarks, prominent buildings and public spaces will light up in the colours of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags from 2 to 9 July.
Events across Queensland, including 79 supported with grants from the Palaszczuk Government, will coincide with other NAIDOC Week 2023 activities happening around Australia.
The National NAIDOC Week Awards was held in Brisbane, on 1 July, hosted by the National NAIDOC Committee and attended by 1800 enthusiastic community members.
The Brisbane NAIDOC Ball on 8 July will also be held in Brisbane, as well as community events and flag raising ceremonies, including the Musgrave Park Family Day on 7 July and the NAIDOC Wild Foods and Cultural Festival on 31 July.
For Our Elders was embraced through powerful stories shared by students as part of the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation's (QATSIF) Yarning With Our Elders Project.
Open to all Queensland First Nations secondary students, the competition celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders through creative means such as poetry, interviews, story, dance, songs, and art.
Quotes attributable to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk:
"This year's theme, For Our Elders, invites us to recognise the important role that Elders play in our communities and reflect on the generations of wisdom and guidance that they have gifted to us and that is shaping our future.
"This NAIDOC Week, Queensland communities will come alive with lights, community events, and celebrations as we continue to build respectful relationships between Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the wider community."
Quotes attributable to Minister Leeanne Enoch:
"NAIDOC Week is a special time of year where all Queenslanders can come together to celebrate the unique histories, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples across our state.
"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and cultures represent thousands of generations of stories, connections and caring for Country, and it is an honour to celebrate the remarkable strength of the oldest continuous living cultures in the world.
"As we move forward together on the Path to Treaty, our government is firmly committed to reframing the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Queenslanders to build a prosperous, equitable future for all."
Third-party quotes:
"The Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation (QATSIF) is very proud to have celebrated the deadly For Our Elders NAIDOC theme with two competitions that were open to all Queensland First Nations secondary students," said QATSIF Secretariat Director Michael Nayler.
"Our 2023 QATSIF Creative Arts Competition and Yarning With Our Elders Project attracted nearly 200 entries from young people keen to share their Elder's powerful and important stories through interviews, artworks, poetry, dance and songs."
Bella Thompson proudly shared her grandmother Dr Nereda White's story to take out first place in the 2023 Yarning With Our Elders project.
Bella's mother Dana Whiston said, "The opportunity for a child to yarn, heal and explore the story of their Elders (even after passing) is so important for their own journey. This opportunity has impacted our family and we are so proud of Bella."
Explainer/fast facts and/or further information:
- NAIDOC Week is celebrated nationally and internationally in the first week of July
- NAIDOC stands for the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee
- The 2023 NAIDOC Week theme is For Our Elders. Across every generation, Elders have played, and continue to play, an important role and hold a prominent place in communities and families. They are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, hard workers and loved ones.
