‘Two Songs for Healing’

A landmark musical collaboration highlighting the impact of HIV/AIDS on Australia’s indigenous communities will be launched this week.

Two Songs for Healing, a CD project of the Positive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Network (PATSIN [1]Positive Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Network. A NAPWA-auspiced national membership-based network of Indigenous people living with HIV/AIDS.), will be heard for the first time on a special radio broadcast on Sydney’s Koori Radio 93.7FM on Friday 15 September 2006.
The event marks the release and distribution of the CD to indigenous community radio stations across Australia, and the availability of Two Songs for Healing for purchase online at www.napwa.org.au [2].

Two Songs for Healing is a two-track CD, produced by Tania Bowra, featuring the contributions in song of two Sydney-based performers and songwriters, Sam Barsah and Tim Bishop. Both are known for their varied and valued contributions to the cultural and community life of Sydney and particularly for their support of indigenous HIV and AIDS projects through their performances. Sam and Tim have performed, separately and together, nationally and internationally.

Two Songs for Healing is a collaborative work involving indigenous and non indigenous artists and agencies committed to providing support for the Positive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Network, a national organisation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HIV-positive men and women committed to supporting each other and their communities in a collaborative response to the HIV epidemic in Australia. It is supported through NAPWA, the peak advocacy group for people living with HIV/AIDS in Australia.

“The Positive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Network is very proud to present Two Songs for Healing, dedicated to all those who have lived, loved and who have lost loved ones to HIV/AIDS,” said Rodney Junga-Williams, PATSIN [3]Indigenous Positive Network. Now known as PATSIN (Positive Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Network). Co-Convenor. “The songs speak for themselves and are an acknowledgement of our collective past, a celebration of our survival, our learning, and our deep connections to all that is passed, all who we have lost, and all who remain. We remember them always and honour their memories with the way we live.”

Two Songs for Healing is available now for online purchase at www.napwa.org.au [4]. The purchase price of $16.50 includes GST, postage and handling, and a major part of the proceeds directly support PATSIN project activities.