The Deep North grew from workshops within the African Australian music and arts community. It developed in response to a desire to see more African faces on stage. The narrative is in part based on the personal stories of the performers Pontsho Nthupi, Stephen Tongun, Ben Tamba, Tumelo Nthupi and Gabriel Akon (DyspOra). This project sits within the Black Lives Matter movement as an alternative monument to those African artists and leaders who have been forgotten by history.

Initially, the piece began as a workshopped script around the colonial experiment that was Liberia. When rapper and Triple J unearthed artist DyspOra got involved the music and the stories became more contemporary and personal. The notion of ‘home’ for the African diaspora was transferred to modern regional Australia and the challenges faced by young African Australians as they attempt to negotiate two worlds.