“Music is what they all share. It’s their history, their lore, it’s their future, their education, it’s their hurts, it’s their joys, it’s their injustices, their struggles, it’s their future, their love, and their hope. This is how it is for all cultures, this is common, and it’s through music that they hear, share and learn these things. Music can and has crossed every cultural barrier imaginable and will continued to do so.
There may be different sounds, different beats, different instruments, but they are singing the same things, they are talking with a common language – with one talk.”
Drawing on the rich musical talent of their region, the Wantok Musik Foundation, an Australian-based not-for-profit organisation, promotes and facilitates various cultural exchanges and a greater level of economic empowerment for Melanesian and Indigenous artists and their communities.
The Wantok Musik Foundation aims to generate and foster various cultural exchanges between Australia and their neighbours throughout Oceania by establishing a leading, not-for-profit Music Label representing Indigenous and world music groups of this unique region, that will:
-Record, release and promote music from Indigenous Australia and Melanesia
-Raise the local and international profile of Indigenous and world music groups based in the region
-Provide greater economic opportunity for artists and long-term career sustainability by providing a viable outlet, and distributing royalties/profits through equitable and culturally appropriate mechanisms,While simultaneously managing various initiatives to:
-Address various social issues with creative, culturally focused approaches
-Increase Australians’ understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultures of their region
-Cultivate ‘capacity building’ for music recording within the region
-Increase the cultural exchange between Australia and countries within the region
