THE REGIONAL ARTS FUND: Wide Desert Listening

15/7/2026

In May 2025, the Almiraj Sufi Centre presented Sufi Oz with Barkindji/Malyangapa songman Leroy Johnson in concert with a show called Wide Desert Listening. Funded by the Regional Arts Fund Project Grants, Wide Desert Listening was an interdisciplinary arts project designed to celebrate and explore the rich cultural heritage of Broken Hill.

The project was a key event in the Outback Sufi Conference, bringing together First Nation songs of Country with devotional qawwali music to pay homage to the connection between South Asian migrant and Indigenous histories during the exploration and colonisation of Australia. The aim was to bring together diverse cultural expressions and community groups to promote tolerance, social cohesion and understanding. It also re-presented, reinvigorated and reimagined the cultural heritage of Broken Hill, referencing sacred texts found at the oldest surviving cameleer-built mosque in Australia.

The project had significant tangible outcomes, including:

  • Professional development for nine people across creative, technical and administrative areas. This included experience in project management, intensive learning in qawwali singing for the Broken Hill Community Choir and the Broken Hill Philharmonic Choir, and mentorship in video projection setup, backstage operations and audio setup for live music, as well as concert still photography and post-production assistance for local young people. These professional development experiences supported local capacity building, encouraged pathways into further training, and strengthened skills that will continue to benefit the regional creative community beyond the life of the project.
  • Reaching over 200 in-person audience members and 5400 online audience members. This significantly broadened community engagement by making the unfamiliar art form of qawwali and Sufi cultural practice accessible, welcoming and deeply connected to place and history.
  • Establishing professional partnerships with local organisations and venues, including West Darling Arts, the Broken Hill Civic Centre, SlagHeap Projects, Broken Hill Art Exchange (BHAE), Broken Hill City Council, the Broken Hill Community & Philharmonic Choirs, as well as Wilykali and Barkindji cultural knowledge holders and local media. Through financial contributions, substantial in-kind support, shared resources and co-delivered events, this project demonstrated how regional arts initiatives can leverage partnerships to achieve outcomes beyond the scope of a single grant. Many of these relationships are active and ongoing, with clear potential for future artistic, cultural and community collaborations.

The organisers also reported on the reflections of local audience members and participants, showing how the project reflected diverse cultural expressions that increased tolerance, social cohesion and understanding.

In the two nights leading up to the concert, large-scale projected artworks were displayed on the façade of the Broken Hill Civic Centre, transforming a civic building into a highly visible cultural site after dark. One passer-by paused to ask, “Is this the mosque?” This moment reflected the depth of curiosity and cultural dialogue the work inspired.

The concert itself brought together First Nations artist Leroy Johnson, three local musicians, visiting qawwali artists and community choirs in cross-cultural collaboration. This exchange highlighted shared histories of travel, song and storytelling, and modelled respectful cultural collaboration within a regional context.

Afterwards Johnson wrote “This was a great opportunity to be paid as a performer in our local community, which is rare. Getting to be on a lineup with an internationally recognised band was also a very valuable and great learning experience”

The organisers also stated, “From our perspective, the audience response exceeded all expectations. Before the event, we anticipated that they might remain reserved, as regional audiences can be cautious with unfamiliar performance styles. However, the band immediately engaged the room. People were clapping from the very first song. As the concert progressed, the energy continued to build. By the end of the night, many audience members had left their seats, singing, clapping and dancing along. People expressed gratitude for the opportunity to experience a different form of spiritual music and for the respectful way the event was presented. The fact that so many attendees approached me personally to share their appreciation affirmed that the project successfully built cultural bridges and fostered understanding across diverse communities.”

Image: Nadia Raheem, Narrator and Poet, on stage, weaving history, poetry and meaning into the performance, guiding the audience through the devotional traditions of qawwali. Performing at The Broken Hill Civic Centre, Wide Desert Listening concert, presented by Almiraj Sufi and Islamic Centre Inc. Photo by Tim Gilbert. 

They also acknowledged the importance of the Regional Arts Fund, saying, “The Almiraj Sufi and Islamic Study Centre sincerely thanks the Regional Arts Fund for supporting this project and enabling us to bring this significant event to our community. The concert became a central component of our inaugural Outback Sufi Conference, helping to transform it into a cultural festival of sorts. The success of the event has given us the confidence to think bigger and more expansively about future ways to foster cultural understanding and share the beauty of Sufi practice and art forms.”

Regional Arts NSW is proud to have partnered with this project through the Regional Arts Fund. Wide Desert Listening is a testament to the power of the arts in promoting social cohesion and cultural understanding in regional communities and shows how important it is to fund regional creative practice. We look forward to future iterations of the project and the ongoing impact it will have in Broken hill.

LEARN MORE: www.instagram.com/outbacksuficonference

Image: Audience of Wide Desert Listening. By the final moments of the concert, the entire audience was on their feet—clapping, singing and dancing as Fahan Shah and Sufi Oz filled the space with the powerful, uplifting sound of qawwali. The Wide Desert Listening concert was presented by Almiraj Sufi and Islamic Centre Inc. at the Broken Hill Civic Centre. Photo by Tim Gilbert. 

Image: Barkindji/Malyangaapa man Leroy Johnson, joined by friends, performs songs of Country, sharing stories shaped by the Baaka (Darling River) and helping audiences connect to place. Performing at The Broken Hill Civic Centre, Wide Desert Listening concert, presented by Almiraj Sufi and Islamic Centre Inc. Photo by Ismael Cook.

This project was supported by the Regional Arts Fund, part of the Australian Government’s Arts and Cultural Development Program managed by Regional Arts Australia. Regional Arts NSW administers this grant in NSW and is proud to have been involved in making this project happen.

Cover image: Fahan Shah and Sufi Oz bringing the powerful, devotional sounds of qawwali to Broken Hill during the Outback Sufi Conference, featuring harmonium, tabla, violin, guitar, drums and soaring vocals. Performing at The Broken Hill Civic Centre, Wide Desert Listening concert, presented by Almiraj Sufi and Islamic Centre Inc. Photo by Tim Gilbert.