Kankawa Nagarra

What this episode covers

Walmajarri elder and acclaimed singer-songwriter AuntieOlive Knight (Kankawa Nagarra) will bring a lifetime of storytelling, cultural knowledge and environmental advocacy to WOMADelaide this March, performing onKaurna Country as part of the festival’s diverse 2026 program.Kankawa Nagarra’s music blends blues, gospel, country andWalmajarri language into songs shaped by ceremony, lived experience and an enduring connection to Country. For Nagarra, the blues is not a borrowed form but one thatmirrors musical traditions she has known since childhood.Knight grew up living a traditional nomadic life with herclan in the Kimberley before being relocated onto a pastoral lease. Language sits at the core of Knight’s work, singing inEnglish, Kimberly Kriol and Walmajarri, a language she has spent decades helping to document and preserve. Performing language on stage, particularly within blues andgospel frameworks, creates a powerful point of connection for diverse audiences.

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