Facebook and Instagram partnership boosts national reach of Celebrations for NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC has partnered with Facebook Australia to launch new tools and initiatives to celebrate Indigenous people, stories, and businesses for NAIDOC Week 2020.

Starting 8th November across Facebook and Instagram, Australians will be empowered to connect with this year’s ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’ theme and with Indigenous-designed tools, creators, and businesses.

In welcoming the partnership, National NAIDOC Co Chair, John Paul Janke said it was an exciting opportunity to expand the reach and footprint of NAIDOC Week like never before.

“Millions of Australians can now join in the celebrations via their social media, sharing this stunning content to their networks and thus engaging a whole new audience to our culture, achievement, history, aspirations and voices.”

Exclusively in Australia, Facebook will launch three new Instagram Stories stickers designed by Tyrown Waigana, the Noongar and Saibai Islander artist behind this year’s NAIDOC Week poster.

Other features set to launch in partnership with NAIDOC include:

• Four Stories templates designed by Nungala Creative, led by proud Warumungu / Wombaya woman Jessica Johnson. These templates encourage Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to connect with the Country they live on, and share the people and organisations that inspire them during NAIDOC Week.
• A new interactive Indigenous music library within the Facebook and Instagram music stickers called ‘Blak Australia’ to highlight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
• Top Indigenous creators will develop and share Instagram Guides focused on well-being and connecting to country. Guides are an upcoming feature currently testing with select creators around the world.

Will Easton, Vice President of Facebook Australia says that the partnership supports their commitment to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to celebrate culture, access education, and embrace their economic potential.

“Our platforms can elevate community voices and share stories in unprecedented ways, and this partnership with NAIDOC will harness that power to bring Indigenous achievements and culture to Australians everywhere,” he said.

As NAIDOC Week closes on Saturday 14th November Facebook Australia will livestream NAIDOC LIVE: Celebrating Blak Excellence featuring performances and appearances from some of Australia’s top Indigenous talent including Archie Roach, Ash Barty, Kate (Konstantina) Constantine, Wayne Quilliam and many more including Jessica Mauboy in a Facebook world first XR video production that reimagines her song Butterfly.

Hosted by acclaimed First Nations entertainer Mitch Tambo, the show will air live from 6:00pm AEDT, and use Facebook’s live donation tools to raise money for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.