Mbantua Indigenous Festival

The Mbantua Festival celebrated the Arrende people of Central Australia and offered a remarkable exploration of their history and culture.

Megafun undertook the Production and Technical Management of the Mbantua Festival, working closely with Artistic Directors Rachel Perkins and Nigel Jamieson.

Mbantua consisted of four primary elements:

• The Bungalow Show – a moving and dramatically intense piece of musical theatre exploring the historical period when Alice Spring’s Old Telegraph Station was used as a Bungalow for the stolen generation of indigenous children.  The piece was performed at the Telegraph Station itself and was entirely cast with descendants of the original inhabitants.
• Bush Mechanics – a physical, wild, tongue in cheek production featuring cars, smoke, dust and mayhem from an Arrende perspective.
• Indigenous Music – concerts featuring performers such as Jessica Malbouy and Bernard Fanning set in the evocative bed of the Todd River adjacent to the Bungalow.
• Art and workshops – the festival site was populated with indigenous artists, sculptors, craftspeople and cooks, sharing their works and their skills with Festival goers.