Omar Musa: ‘Australia could be so much better – but instead we indulge our worst instincts’

Musa’s one-man show, Since Ali Died, is a densely packed hour of theatre, hip-hop and spoken word

Those who think Australia is a land of pretty beaches, long lazy Januarys and no culture wars should be marched tout suite to the Sydney festival, and made to watch Omar Musa’s one-man show, Since Ali Died. It’s all there, densely packed into an hour of theatre, hip-hop and spoken word.

There’s Musa’s own story of how his life fell apart after the death of his hero, Muhammad Ali. There’s his best mate, out of Goulburn jail and riding a self-destructive streak. There’s the woman he fell in love with –inscrutable, captivatinghim as she halves MDMA caps, and breaking his heart when she starts calling him “champ”.

I love the smell of Australia – fire and smoke and earth and salt, the height of summer. You’re on the edge of an adventure.