The Blak Matriarch of Hip Hop, BARKAA, steps forward with the environmentally charged new single ‘NGAMAKA’, featuring fellow Malyapana/Barkindji artist and respected elder, Uncle LEROY JOHNSON.
Alongside the sharp production by Jaytee Hazard the lyrics written by BARKAA and Leroy, ‘NGAMAKA’ sends an urgent call to bring awareness to the plight of the Murray-Darling Basin, from its rapid depletion due to the worsening effects of climate change, farming irrigation and corporate mining.
For over 30,000 years, water has been central to the cultural, social and spiritual identity of Australia’s First Nations people, as well as to their livelihoods. For the Barkindji people, the Darling River (the Baaka) is the heartbeat and lifeblood of its people and country. The river’s future is in crisis, affecting those who depend on it.
BARKAA explains, “Ngamaka is the Barkindji word for mother / mum. The river is our heartbeat as Barkindji people, the translation is river people. Our river is our mother; our water is our mother and heartbeat. Whenever that is depleted, we feel down as people.”
Leroy shares, “It’s such a privilege to help convey the message in this song. The Barkandji language I used to highlight our rivers’ plight is an old way, and combining it with BARKAA to fuse the old and new to say the same thing is amazing. Different generations coming together to tell our stories. I love it
Nhaampa Puka means Bony bream dead. The Bony Bream is my totem and it was millions of those fish that died in the Menindee fish kills. I wrote that through the eyes of our old people and tried to describe the devastation we saw through song. Using our mother’s language was the only way I could properly portray the sadness of what is happening to our river.
I’m a bit overwhelmed by it really. I have always thought that music is the best way to share our language and our stories. BARKAA is such a powerful ngunku (woman), so when she puts out a song people take notice. Barkandji mob represent. “
Dropping alongside the single is the cinematically shot official video, filmed on BARKAA’s Barkindji Country. Directed by Kieran Mpetyane Satour and captured by cinematographer Ryan Andrew Lee, the visual was inspired by BARKAA’s desire to return home to show the beauty and importance of The Darling/Baaka.
BARKAA expresses, “Shooting the music video on Country was so beautiful, it’s been a longtime coming, and the music video will speak more about the track and give it such a more special educational moment. We finally got to do it!”
Leroy who also appears in the video, says about the location of the shoot, “Of course, I am biased, but it is the most beautiful spiritual place on earth. I’ve never been in a music video like this, and the way it shows our country is inspiring. I hope it shows people our place and how important it is for us to protect it.”
As one of the country’s most vital voices – a storyteller, activist, and artist – writing Ngamaka, was a natural process for BARKAA. She shares, “This song was super – natural, speaking of home, having Leroy have the skeleton of the track made, it was really adding onto what my family and cousins are expressing. It was beautiful to write, emotional, I did cry when I was writing it but it’s the power that comes with it. And I feel proud writing this track. One of my proudest moments.
Collaborating with my uncle Leroy Johnson was incredible. He’s amazing. Being a Barkindji speaker and living on country – and having him apart of it. A man that lives on this country and being able to collaborate while being on country is amazing.
It’s important, for me to be a storyteller and passing down songs and stories through music to our loved ones, the next generation and to fans. It’s something our Blakfullas have done for many generations, and it’s special. To be a modern-day storyteller and being able to share our issues, or what we’re passionate about and what keeps us strong is why I do it. I hope young listeners, I feel like they will connect to the words – we have so many climates change activists who are young people, it’s a light song, it’s very ancestral and something I feel is for everybody. I feel like the youngies and the oldies will love it.”
The arrival of ‘Ngamaka’ comes fresh off BARKAA’s electrifying televised performance alongside her label mates and masterful rappers – Yorta Yorta man, BRIGGS, and proud Gomeroi man, Kobie Dee – where they performed to a crowd of 80,000 at the AFL’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round / Dreamtime at the MCG’.
