- country:Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of
- label:not signed
- type:Band
- artist posted by:Sona Productions
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2022 marked the 20-year anniversary of Timor Leste’s Independence from Indonesian occupation, and the formation of one of the leading voices of activism, the Dili Allstars. With their spirit and art rooted in resistance, their music speaks of peaceful protest in the struggle for liberation.
In the early 2000's, the band hit the road, touring extensively both in Australia and abroad, and recorded two albums; as well as music for the ARIA award-winning Balibo soundtrack, and the Australian Canadian tele-movie Answered By Fire.
The Dili Allstars anthem, ‘Liberdade’ was picked up by Mushroom and appeared on a compilation (also titled 'Liberdade') which the band helped to assemble. The album also featured Midnight Oil, Crowded House, and Yothu Yindi, and went on to raise $100,000 for East Timor.
On the back of this commercial success, the Dili’s were invited to perform at the Tour Of Duty Benefit Concert in Timor in front of 150,000+ people, and shared the stage with the likes of John Farnham and Kylie Minogue, and have since played with some of Australia’s greats including Midnight Oil and Paul Kelly.
These days, the band is keeping the music, culture and art of Timor Leste alive through storytelling, social engagements with the community, and mentoring the youth. All band members are involved in projects that shine a light on next generation of Timorese culture keepers and regularly practice traditional songs, dance and customs.
The Dili Allstars have teamed up with the Timor Oan’s Cultural Group, an inspirational initiative designed to assist young East Timorese to connect with their cultural identity through guidance of community elders, aiming to preserve their rich tapestry of cultural arts practices (music, dance, movement and colour) and keep them thriving for the present and future generations. This collaboration sees the older and younger generations coming together to deliver a beautifully unique culturally infused performance.
Together the Dili Allstars and Timor Oans were granted a game-changing opportunity to perform on a world-class stage at Womadelaide 2023. This pairing of music and dance splashed with colour and culture had audiences thrilled to experience an authentic taste of Timor Leste. The group are about to launch this new project globally and take Timorese culture worldwide.