Darwin Festival

Darwin Festival | Small Grants Program

Liberty Songs explores the cultural stories and experiences of a group of remarkable women through song and dance.

Indigenous singer/songwriters Shellie Morris and Lou Bennett worked with a group of Liberian refugee women in Darwin who are finding new lives for themselves and their families in the Northern Territory.

The two distinct groups, of Indigenous and Liberian women, share striking similarities in the social and economic dynamics that have controlled their fates.

The women worked together to write and compose songs, then undertook a four-week rehearsal period. Under the vocal direction of Lou Bennett, the women learnt harmonising skills, microphone technique and stagecraft.  The group performed at an open community rehearsal in the suburb of Malak, which presented an opportunity for community engagement and support.  The rehearsal was also attended by staff and clients of the Melaleuca Refugee Centre.

The project culminated in a sold out performance at Darwin Festival in August 2009.