Messages

Damien Ryan
Mayor of Alice Springs
Come one, come all! Speak, create, think, and feel
one, absorb all! It gives me great pleasure and
excitement to welcome the Alice Desert Festival
back to Alice Springs in 2008. I look forward to an
exciting and expressive sharing of cultures, passions, and creative
ideals throughout the events on this year’s Festival calendar. There
are many roads into Alice, and many paths to inspiration, but we
may enjoy creativity and diversity as one – and this year’s Festival
theme highlights the connective value of artistic expression, as
it continues to bond us all. The Alice Springs Town Council is
delighted to support the Alice Desert Festival again this year,
and is most pleased to continue our association with what is fast
becoming a Central Australian icon. Congratulations to the Alice
Desert Festival committee for putting together such a wondrous
space for many imaginations and pathways to connect. I look
forward to absorbing countless and varied delights throughout
the Festival this year, as our town is transformed into a platform
for creative expression, culture, and sharing that the entire Alice
Springs community and their visitors may enjoy.

Michael Wells
Director Heritage & the Arts
Arts NT is proud to support this year’s Alice
Desert Festival, which is bigger and better than
ever and reflects a thriving Arts sector in the Alice
Springs Region. Successful festivals are joyous,
celebratory feasts and this year’s Festival fits the bill by offering a
smorgasbord of offerings to delight and stimulate the senses. There
is something for everyone’s taste this year, with an overriding theme
of Many Roads One Voice. Through this theme we will explore
and celebrate together the extraordinary stories of the numerous
cultures and traditions that make up Central Australia, through
an array of thought-provoking and entertaining performances,
exhibitions and events. I congratulate Festival Director Eugene
Ragghianti and his team for an extraordinary job in putting together
this year’s program. I have no doubt this year’s Festival will give us
all a renewed appreciation of the energy, richness and diversity of
the Arts sector in Alice Springs, as well as allowing us to appreciate
and celebrate the things that make Alice Springs special. I am
really looking forward to this year’s Festival, and I encourage you
wholeheartedly to enjoy the feast!

Adrian Scholtes
Chair, Alice Springs Festival Inc.
Welcome to the Alice Desert Festival 2008. We
are proud to present the Festival which continues
to showcase the breadth and depth of talent
that exists in Central Australia. Once again the
Festival presents signature events along with other acclaimed
artists and acts to entertain the community. The Festival further
consolidates its message to have something for everyone and
highlights the vibrancy of life in the region. Whether it be the
Sunset Street Parade, DESERTsong, Wearable Arts, Bush Bands
Bash, Festival Club, Bushfoods/Wildfoods, singing, dancing,
participating – there is something for all age groups. The success
of the Festival is reliant on the hard work of the Festival Director,
event co-ordinators, artists, performers, the local arts community
and Committee members. The Committee would like to thank all
those involved in the successful staging of the Festival. We also
thank the NT Government, Alice Springs Town Council, Tourism NT
and Festivals Australia for their significant contributions, along with
other sponsors, partners, volunteers and supporters. It is with great
pleasure that the Committee invites you to immerse yourselves in
the program of culture, arts and fun on display for the ten days of
the Alice Desert Festival as well as the plethora of other events that
contribute to making up the 2008 Alice Desert Festival season.

Eugene Ragghianti
Festival Director
I vividly remember coming to Alice Springs in early
June 2006 on the road from the south. Many Roads
One Voice is the theme for the Alice Desert Festival
2008 and Festival events reflect on this. I believe
that artistic endeavour can transform the world and the way we
think and that our multicultural community should speak with one
voice for equality and justice for all. I am delighted with our program
which represents the vivacious and talented arts community in
Central Australia. There are also others who have come from afar
to entertain and enlighten us. Legendary singer Neil Murray and
culinary icon Stephanie Alexander bring their special magic as do
New York Hip Hop evangelists, The Apostles. Signature events
occur with theatre, music, visual and culinary arts, dance, film,
literature, comedy, cabaret and many free family activities. As this is
my third and final Festival, I would like to thank the Committee and
the devoted staff with whom I have worked as well as our partner
organisations that play such a crucial role in what is fast becoming
a significant addition to the national Festival calendar. I also express
my gratitude to the people of Central Australia for welcoming me
into the community. Being your Festival Director has been a great
adventure and I urge you to relish the cultural gifts prepared for you.
So all I can say now is, ‘Addio, dear Alice!’