Degarra musician Jesse Faber (right) says he hopes his jam sessions will help young people still recovering after Tropical Cyclone Jasper. Photo: Supplied.
The launch of a new music room in Wujal Wujal is bringing the groove back into community as residents continue to heal from the trauma left by Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
The Baja Baja Youth Centre unveiled its jam room on 27 January as part of the Kuku Balkal Kaykayanda (Giving Words to All the Children) project, which started last year to foster resilience and promote healing through creative engagement.
The jam room will be available for community youth to express themselves artistically in a weekly jam session facilitated by Degarra musician Jesse Faber.
Cape York Weekly spoke to Mr Faber before the launch about how he hoped music would help young people in the recovery process.
“I think music and the arts are the backbone of culture, and I think what it does is it gives them a strong sense of community, and it can make people proud of where they live,” he said.
“A connected community is a resilient community, and I think that connection also gives people hope.
“I’ve worked in the arts for 30 years, and through any kind of disaster, one thing that I’ve seen is that the thing that builds resilience in a community is the arts, and no matter how bad a disaster is, everyone wants to get together and be entertained, and it helps you bond and move beyond the trauma.”
The jam room was made possible by the Creative Recovery Network Tropical North partnership, including the Regional Arts Services Network (RASN), and it is one of several creative activities across Cape York to bring life back into communities after one of the worst flooding events on record.
RASN regional arts officer Waratah Nicholls said a key aspect of the Kuku Balkal Kaykayanda project was its long-term approach.
“This is actually the science behind it, that it takes three years to get over going through a traumatic event like the flooding, so we want to support our young people with activities, creativity, and engaging their imagination for that period of time,” she said.
“It’s really about getting some activities for the youth, getting them engaged and doing things together that are really positive and creative.”
