GSSC students celebrate Refugee Week with vibrant cultural performances

By Khadija Hadjab

Jul 4, 2024

There are many ways to celebrate Refugee Week and Greater Shepparton Secondary College students recently commemorated their journeys through songs and dances.

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World Refugee Day is held on June 20 each year, and Refugee Week is celebrated across Australia during the same week.

Nearly 30.7 per cent of Australia's population were born overseas, according to the ABS. This makes Australia one of the world’s most multicultural countries in the world, with celebrations that bring people and cultures together each year.

On June 20, GSSC students performed at the Tatura library as part of Refugee Week “to come together to celebrate the beauty of diversity, unity and inclusion” through music and dance, showcasing the many cultures that make the region such a vibrant place.

GSSC students Mimi Batamuliza and Zainab Alnajar were the event’s two emcees who introduced the different acts.

GSSC students’ joyous and diverse performances captivated an audience of Sacred Heart students, Tatura Primary School, Tatura Preschool, GSSC, Kubihouse Tatura, and community members.

Fidele performed a song he wrote with his brother called Laisser DRC, sharing their journey as refugees in Malawi; Syma Karimi and Hargun Kaur performed two traditional Burundian songs, Tu Tambe, while Diya Ali Bangash and Shaima Khaksar represented Afghani and Hazaragi cultures.

Other performances were by Denzel, the Congolese Boy Group, the Congolese Girl Group, and Asheri’s song Shine. The performances were closed out by the Pacifica Group.

The Burundi group gracefully performed dances from the landlocked country. Photo by Khadija Hadjab

Author opinion Refugee Week

We don’t get to choose where we are born, even if we act like we do.

Sometimes, the circumstances of your birth are far from ideal. Your country could be devastated by war, your freedom or rights could be non-existent, or you could face various persecutions, making life impossible.

These hardships could mean you have no option but to leave everything behind and start afresh in another country.

The journey to safety is often full of dangers: sometimes it may mean people being smuggled across borders and crossing the seas on makeshift boats without the guarantee of making it alive. These are all tragic circumstances no-one should ever have to go through.

Major-General Paul Cullen dreamed of celebrating those who bravely faced countless dangers to live a life they chose and honouring the contributions refugees made to their communities.

Cullen was an Australian visionary, philanthropist and passionate refugee advocate. In 1981, he founded the Refugee Council of Australia, a not-for-profit organisation supporting and advocating for refugees and asylum seekers.

Cullen’s vision was clear: he wanted to organise a global celebration to honour refugees and asylum seekers.

On November 9, 1989, the first celebration of Refugee Week was held in Sydney. It consisted of a march of about 200 Afghan, Eritrean, South African, Vietnamese, Chilean, El Salvadorean people, and other communities, and it was followed by a picnic.

What started as “a small local event” gained magnitude nationwide year after year, involving students, schools, local councils and communities, faith-based organisations and businesses.

Every revolutionary idea or major shift starts with a single person’s dream or vision. By holding on to their truth and pursuing it relentlessly, they can turn their dream into reality.

Cullen’s story is another testament to the message that following your dreams always pays off, regardless of how people around you may feel about them.

Celebrating Refugee Week represents a chance to acknowledge refugees’ journeys, bring us together and offers us an opportunity to collectively reflect on our own privileges.