WOMADelaide’s Planet Talks Program To Unpack Life On Mars, Religion & More

The breadth of WOMADelaide seems to reach new heights with its multi-layered program each year, the latest edition to the line-up, the Planet Talks program, going so far as to encompass another planet.

In the same way it’s four-day music program – this year featuring The Specials, The Waifs, Archie Roach and so many more - is a crash course on elements from across the globe, the conference aspect will unpack a range of diverse topics, with the festival’s 25th anniversary shaping up to be massive.

Headed by the Human Life On Mars panel, this year’s line-up is going above and beyond to instil knowledge on punters, confirming researcher Carmel Johnston who is at the forefront of research into the matter alongside Australian Mars One candidate Josh Richards and moderator/ABC Science broadcaster Robyn Williams.

Founder and CEO of the ‘free repair guide for everything, written by everyone’, iFixit, Kyle Wiens talks waste as a resource and more alongside local experts Veena Sahajwalla (UNSW Professor of Materials Science) and Nick Chileshe (UniSA reverse logistics expert), while other panels focus on inclusiveness, religion and the importance of indigenous knowledge and languages.

“The Planet Talks will again focus on some of seminal issues facing humanity today and into the future, and it is a testament to the event that we are again able to offer audiences the opportunity to listen to internationally leading voices on a variety of subjects across the festival weekend,” WOMADelaide director Ian Scobie said.

The 2017 Planet Talks Line-up

Richard Fidler in conversation with Sir Tim Smit
Human Life on Mars
Redefining resources and the right to repair
Do Something!
What's god got to do with it?
Valuing Indigenous knowledge and language

Planet Talks runs from March 11 -13 at Botanic Park's Speakers’ Corner. Check out the full timetable here.