Speaking at Curious Women, a Believe in Bendigo event held at Ulumbarra Theatre on Thursday night, panelist Mariam Issa shared her story of emigration from Somalia.

Ms Issa, who had four children and was pregnant again when she arrived in Australia, knew nothing about Western culture at the time.

“Culture is a currency, and when you come into a completely different culture, your currency is inflated, and you can’t buy anything with it,” she said.

The learning curve was steep for Ms Issa, but she said finding her feet in Australia had allowed her to become a voice for disenfranchised women.  

Sharing her experience also meant she could help Muslim and non-Muslim Australians acclimatize to one another’s culture.  

Event organiser Margot Spalding said because women were curious about other people’s stories, they were important agents of change.