Students at Wooranna Park Primary School were stoked to meet legendary Aboriginal Australian singer Mitch Tambo this month.
The school’s indoor court was vibrating with upbeat music mixed with the loud cheers of the students singing and dancing along.
Bringing so much joy to the students, this was part of his ‘I am Me’ youth tour across Australia making up over 100 shows and tours.
“The whole point of this tour is to travel the nation and to give back to the next generation through an experience of a party like nature, but within talking about culture, identity, self- belief belonging, and all those beautiful themes,” Tambo says.
“And then that extends into breakoff groups in some instances as well, like yarning circles, we tackle all different types of topics.”
A proud Gamilaraay man, singer-songwriter, actor performer presenter, he garnered love and national attention for his First Nations version of the iconic John Farnham anthem, ‘You’re The Voice’ on the 2019 Finale of Australia’s Got Talent.
He hasn’t looked back ever since, becoming a renowned personality internationally where his album Guurama-Li soared up the iTunes World Music charts in countries like Denmark, Malta, United Kingdom and the US.
Mitch blends traditional Aboriginal sounds and language with contemporary beats and production helping younger generations to connect and embrace their culture, a crucial topic for the school’s diverse students.
“I think the impact is really just through the sharing and embracing my own culture.
“I think that the flow on effect is kids see someone that’s not embarrassed or ashamed of who they are, and in turn, they get a chance to step into who they are.”
Amongst the many students, Lola, Nathan, Jethro and Navaeha were ecstatic throughout the event, their happiness on full display as they enjoyed both the fun and the message behind it.
“I really liked it because he encouraged people to express their culture, to stand out and not be humiliated or embarrassed about your culture,” Navaeha said.
“I liked how hyped the performance was because it was really fun. We all got to connect, hold hands and jump around,“ Nathan said.
By the end of it all, it took time to contain the students who wanted more of the fun, to take photos and autographs.
