<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span lang="EN-US">Merry Christmas from Ngapartji Ngapartji!</span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span lang="EN-US">Even with the project in wrap-up mode, there’s
still been plenty going on in the world of Ngapartji Ngapartji!</span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span lang="EN-US">Most excitingly, the documentary film, now titled
‘Nothing Rhymes with Ngapartji’ has reached lock-off! Director Suzy Bates,
editor Vanessa Milton and producer Alex Kelly have all worked incredibly hard
to get it to this point. The ABC commissioned documentary will appear on
television in late 2010 and will continue to highlight the Indigenous Language
issue in Australia as well as offering a uniquely personal insight. ‘Nothing
Rhymes with Ngapartji’ will screen in film festivals throughout 2010.</span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span lang="EN-US">‘Wanti Watjilpa’, a compilation CD from Ernabella,
Fregon and Amata musicians was released in December! Forty-five musicians from
Ernabella, Amata and Fregon contributed to the diverse range of sounds and
songs on <i>Wanti Watjilpa</i>. Some of the
most exciting songs on the CD were collaborations written by young women in Big
<i>h</i>ART workshops. Some of the
recordings and songs written in Ernabella were included and performed in Big
hART’s newest production ‘Nyuntu Ngali’ a post-apocalyptic love story that was
performed in Adelaide in September 2009. Jennifer Wells who features strongly
on <i>Wanti Watjilpa</i> also performed in
the theatre show. Beth just took the CD's down to Ernabella for the launch - contact <a href="mailto:enquiries@ngapartji.org">enquiries@ngapartji.org</a> if you'd like to buy a copy!<br></span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span lang="EN-US">The Alice Springs team and community members have
been working with designer Elliat Rich to produce a ‘memory basket’ or legacy
gift item which will celebrate and document the projects achievements,
processes and milestones. It will include film, music, photographs and special
elements such as Pitjantjatjara fridge magnet poetry. The memory basket will be
launched in April 2009 in Alice Springs at an event that will double as a
Ngapartji Ngapartji wrap up celebration party.</span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span lang="EN-US">Big hART’s newest theatre work Nyuntu Ngali (a
post-apocalyptic love story) premiered in Adelaide in October, featuring
Ngapartji Ngapartji’s Trevor Jamieson, newcomers Derek Lynch and Anne Golding
and Ernabella’s Jennifer Wells. Nyuntu Ngali, which explores themes of
survival, climate-change and culture through a cross-media production has a spot
coming up in APAM in Adelaide in February and a confirmed season with the
Sydney Theatre Company in May 2010. </span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span lang="EN-US">The Namatjira project continues to evolve and has
most recently appointed Ella McHenry as a community liaison arts worker in
Alice Springs who will begin work with the Namatjira family and extended
community in 2010 on an art exhibition and consultation around the show that
will document the life of this famous Australian at Belvoir St theatre in
September. </span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span lang="EN-US">The ‘ninti’ website is now free! This is exciting
as now access to an insight into Pitjantjatjara language and culture is widely
available for use by the public, schools and language learners.</span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span lang="EN-US">Other project activity includes the archiving of
huge volumes of photographic, film, sound and written documentation produced
since the projects 2004 beginnings. Material will be accessible to the
community on an on-going basis via the wonderful ‘Ara Irititja’ archive which
has databases in a wide range of Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara/Nganyatjatjara
communities.</span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span lang="EN-US">In language policy news, the Labour government has
advised Ngapartji Ngapartji that an implementation plan is in it’s final draft
stages and that they will have further announcements to make in January. For
the most recent in-depth information please see: <a href="http://www.ngapartji.org/content/view/265/5/" target="_blank">http://www.ngapartji.org/content/view/265/5/</a></span></font></p><p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal">
<font size="2">Palyakutu! Have great holidays,<br></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Love from Beth and the Ngapartji Ngapartji team</span></font><br><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri;" lang="EN-US"></span></p>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Beth Sometimes<br>Big hART<br><br>0403 553 061<br><br>PO BOX 8333 Alice Springs NT 0871<br><br><a href="http://bighart.org/" target="_blank">http://bighart.org</a><br><br><a href="http://ngapartji.org/" target="_blank">http://ngapartji.org</a><br clear="all">
<br>-- <br>Beth Sometimes<br>Big hART<br><br>0403 553 061<br><br>PO BOX 8333 Alice Springs NT 0871<br><br><a href="http://bighart.org">http://bighart.org</a><br><br><a href="http://ngapartji.org">http://ngapartji.org</a><br>