'Dhinawan' is the Kamileroi word for 'emu', and the song title refers to an ancient Kamileroi constellation etched into the negative space of the Milky Way. A powerful and sacred Indigenous songline, the Dhinawan story shifts and changes as it travels from nation to nation, and is the foundation of this song. Dhinawan Touch the Stars is a result of a community project collaboration led by non-profit group Desert Pea Media and a group of young Indigenous people enrolled at Walgett Community College in NSW. The song was written, recorded and filmed over 5 days in June 2016 in the remote community of Walgett ,Northwest NSW. Produced and musically directed by Carlo Santone (Blue King Brown, Nattali Rize) 'Dhinawan Touch the Stars' was co-written and co-directed with the young students and the Desert Pea Media crew.
Desert Pea Media projects involve a dialogue-based storytelling process that encourages participants to analyze 'the real', 'the ideal' and 'the bridge'. In simple terms this means critically thinking about how to create positive change for individuals, for each other and for our communities.
This information was then disseminated into a narrative structure by local young people and Desert Pea Media staff - Toby Finlayson, Michael Graham (aka MC Boomalli) and acclaimed Indigenous hip hop artist Fred Leone aka Rival MC.