“These songs sing about community, life and ways of making things better…”
UPK, Uwankara Palyanku Kanyitjaku (everybody creating and holding the future) is a strategy to achieve well-being through positive, shared vision of the future and thoughtful action by everybody to achieve this vision. UPK finds expression in many different forms from making of policy to community development, including housing, disease prevention, dog health, water management, land care, community awareness, education and music.
Music is the most effective way to express feelings and convey the thoughts and messages of our time. Nganampa Health Council have long recognized the power of music to express the important story and have always encouraged musicians to write songs which contribute to our sense of action and progress. This is the music of UPK.
The first UPK album was recorded at Mutitjulu in 1989 establishing a benchmark in popularity and quality. It was not until 2002 that UPK2 was recorded at Tilun Tilun to be followed by UPK#3 at Black Hill – Kunma Piti and UPK#4 at Ulkiya. The quality of these productions is outstanding; UPK music remains the most popular music on the lands today.
To find out more visit upk5.com
UPK5 at Katjikuta followed the practice of intense discussion of how to use music to fight disease, about survival in an age of endemic renal disease, diabetes, circulatory and heart disease and social disruption. All the musicians have experienced considerable family loss from disease and sickness. It is a perplexing task to draw on these experiences in a musical way; there was a general view expressed that songs should reflect that caring for ones children, commitment to family and vigilance were the best weapons.