In a mesmerising multimedia dance production Jurrungu Ngan-ga reflects on the overrepresentation of First People in custody, and the years-long detention of refugees. It’s a story told from within the prison of the Australian mind.

Translated from Yawuru as “straight talk”, Jurrungu Ngan-ga takes its inspiration from the words and experiences of Yawuru leader Patrick Dodson, Kurdish Iranian writer and former Manus Island detainee Behrouz Boochani, and Iranian-Australian scholar-activist Omid Tofighian.

With characteristic dedication, First Peoples and intercultural dance company Marrugeku bridges cultures, communities and identities. Embodying figments of the Australian psyche, the performers deftly move between dark humour, horror, truth-telling and bodily resistance. Jurrungu Ngan-ga’s performers—from First Peoples, refugee, transgender and settler communities—employ their skill and courage to shine a light on new ways to resist and abolish.