Last night Ed Sheeran showed once again just how committed he is to showing respect towards Traditional owners across Australia.
It was Adelaide’s time to shine last night and Sheeran began by engaging with local “Yellaka” dance group who helped perform a Welcome to Country before the concert. Just when the concert was almost over, Sheeran returned to the stage for an encore performance wearing an Aboriginal flag t-shirt. It was very fitting as Adelaide is actually the birthplace of the Aboriginal flag. Check out Ed rocking the shirt in his encore performance of his hit song, “Shape of you”.
تم النشر بواسطة Tayla Lennox في الأربعاء، ٧ مارس ٢٠١٨
It was the second time that Sheeran engaged with local Indigenous groups on his tour. In Perth, a social media campaign by Indigenous singer songwriter Phil Walleystack allowed for Sheeran to meet and learn about the significance of having a Welcome to Country.
Since then Sheeran has committed to engaging with Traditional owners before each of his concerts. His record breaking tour has sold over 1 million tickets. With Australia’s population of 24 million people, that means 1 in every 24 people get to see Sheeran and see what respect for Aboriginal culture looks like at the same time.
Sheeran has been widely applauded by Aboriginal people across Australia for his actions. He is proving that a little bit of respect can go a long way. He also breaks the myth that you don’t need to be Aboriginal to support Aboriginal rights and people.
Back in 2015 when Sheeran first wore an Aboriginal flag for his entire Sydney concert, the Australian media completely ignored the fact he had made such a statement. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues in 2018. What else does Sheeran need to do before the mainstream media acknowledges his actions?
