Blak Country: First Nations Country Music Showcase will take place at the Dunstan Playhouse on 13 September, as part of the Adelaide Guitar Festival (AGF).

Curated by Barkindji woman, Nancy Bates, the event highlights the essential role of country music in contemporary Indigenous song practice.

A country musician herself, Ms Bates advocated for the festival to pilot this event in 2024.

She emphasised that the guitar is central to the continuation of songlines for Indigenous artists and pointed out the lack of showcases for Indigenous country music in South Australia and beyond.

Ms Bates, drawing from her experience touring with Archie Roach, highlights the significance of country music in developing and sustaining contemporary song practice.

"There's a lot of gaps in opportunities for mob and country music is particularly hard to crack," Ms Bates said.

"The whole vision around this is 'we're creating some of the best country music in the world, as Indigenous people'.

"And I don't feel like that's being fully appreciated."

Ms Bates also noted that Indigenous people globally engage in guitar-based country music, especially in North America, Scandinavia, and the Pacific.

"We are a global people, it's not just Australian Indigenous people who have these stories to share," she said.

Blak Country will feature a ticketed concert with songwriters Aunty Penny Bonney, Nancy Bates, Glenn Skuthorpe, Scott Rathman Jnr, Jess Hitchcock and Rigney Family Band.

Additionally, the AGF program will include a free screening of the 2000 documentary Buried Country.

There will also be a free public panel discussion on platforming Indigenous country artists and the guitar's role in contemporary song practice.

With themes of connection to country, heartbreak, and deep emotion, Indigenous people resonate deeply with country music as both creators and consumers.

"Sometimes when I'm frustrated at the lack of opportunities... I remember that I'm now in a place where I can influence some change," Ms Bates said.

She hopes Blak Country will create touring opportunities not only in Australia but internationally.

"We have this, it needs to be shared," she said.

Blak Country aims to showcase this relationship at an international festival, emphasising the excellence of Indigenous country artists and the guitar's role as an accessible and affordable instrument for participation in this art form.

Tickets are available now via the Adelaide guitar Festival website.