The Festival of Cultures began in Bendigo today on the same ground where anti-mosque protesters gathered over the last year.
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Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services initiated the event in 2013 to celebrate diversity in central Victoria, and director Noemi Cummings hoped holding this year’s opening ceremony outside the city’s town hall would reclaim the patch in the name of love and kindness.
“The town hall has been the place where people come to protest, so we wanted to show we could make a joyful sound here,” she said.
“We want to change the bad news for good news.”
Dance performances and prayer dedications originating from different corners of the world appeared to win over the 200-person crowd, which included primary school students and some of the region’s elected representatives. Many wore orange – the colour of harmony.
“One lady just said to me, ‘This is the place to be, with blessings from all different religious leaders. What other place can you be safer than here?’” Ms Cummings said.
Muslim leader Heri Febriyanto, whose community were targetted by anti-mosque protesters, addressed the crowd today, asking for Bendigonians to unite regardless of culture.
“At the end of the day, we as Muslim Australians want to live in peace,” he said.
“I believe that will happen in Bendigo.”
The town hall, which was festooned in flags from around the world today, will also play host to Saturday’s Celebrating Who We Are concert.
The cornerstone event of the festival will welcome more than a dozen acts from different ethnic and racial backgrounds, as well as artists with a track record of supporting diversity.
Dance around the world
Bendigo is a long way from Korea, but that has not stopped local teenager Brittney Carron from bringing a slice of Seoul to town.
The Bendigo South East College dancer impressed crowds at today’s Festival of Cultures opening ceremony with a buchaechum dance, in which performers use fans to mimic the shapes of birds, flowers and butterflies.
Ms Carron, who travels to Melbourne each week to train at the prestigious Ministry of Dance school, said it took two weeks of lunchtime rehearsals to perfect the routine.
“I like the movement, and the dance style,” she said.
“It has been such an amazing opportunity to choreograph this dance for my classmates.”
Other cultures represented through dance on Tuesday included Indonesia, with the Mugi Rahayu orchestra presenting a tari kijang, or deer dance.
Young members of the Karen community also danced outside the town hall, before the event closed with a performance from Ghanan master drummer Kofi Kunkpe.
