Big Talk One Fire celebrates ninth annual festival headlined by Majda Dub

Fogarty Park will come alive with the sounds of dub and jazz in a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures with music, dance, food, and the arts this weekend. Find out more here.

Fogarty Park will come alive with the sounds of dub and jazz in a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures with music, dance, food, and the arts on Saturday.

Headlined by Majda (Kuku Yalanji for rainforest) Dub band, the free-to-enjoy Big Talk One Fire event will present a colourful cultural immersion with a laid-back family vibe.

UMI Arts’ Big Talk One Fire will celebrate its ninth annual festival in 2022 with a program of entertainment crisscrossing musical and dance genres, live stage at Fogarty Park from 1pm until 8pm.

The entertainment program features a high calibre of Indigenous artists including the Boigu Dance Group, Yindinji Wallabara Dance Group, Cold Water Band, Djun Djun Jarra Band, Jahz, and Broden Tyrell.

The event will also present a fantastic opportunity to explore the Indigenous arts market, craft corner, activities for kids, food stalls and much more.

With a shapeshifting sound spanning reggae, dub and jazz, the eight-piece, Madja Dub band is a collective of FNQ’s finest musicians who are uniting for common causes and bringing peace to Cairns.

The Big Talk One Fire Indigenous Australian cultural festival, presented by UMI Arts, will be held at Fogarty Park on Saturday. Luke Briscoe and his daughter Pheonix Briscoe, 14, pictured with event organiser Cam Kennedy, will perform at the festival as Madja Dub.

“Big Talk, One Fire is a great opportunity for Madja Dub to share its message of peace while raising funds to support the development of a Madja Dub music scholarship program – providing youth placements in an accredited music production program,” Madja Dub co-founder, 14-year-old Phoneix Briscoe said.

“(Youth) are the future and I founded Madja Dub to help elevate youth voice and agency and raise awareness on issues that matter to us.”

It’s a message her father, Madja Dub’s fellow co-founder Luke Briscoe, also thought was key to the celebration.

“There are still cultural divides in Cairns so what better way to unite people then through music, dance and dub,” Mr Briscoe said.

Mr Briscoe also found that through performing through language he has been able to connect with his culture and community again after Covid-19.

Event organiser Cameron Kennedy said Big Talk was one of UMI Arts’ much-loved events and was more than just entertainment and culturally activating the inner-city.

It also helps community stay connected while supporting the creative industry of north Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Peoples

Originally published as Big Talk One Fire celebrates ninth annual festival headlined by Majda Dub