Refugee & ASylum Seekers Festival 2005

The festival, now in its second year, commemorates United Nations World Refugee Day and celebrates the lives and cultures of Melbourne’s newly arrived refugee communities. Refugees coming from war-torn countries like Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia are the largest group of recent asylum seekers living in Australia.

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Photographs from the event

SUNDAY 19th JUNE PROGRAM

Refugee & Asylum Seekers Festival Concert
Fitzroy Town Hall 201 Napier St Fitzroy

12.00pm Nadia Elbana (Sudan)

12.15pm North Sudan Dancers

12.25pm Soccer Awards Ceremony
Presentations by Richard Wynne MP

1.00pm Sudan Azza

1.25pm Oramhs Band (Oromo)

1.50pm Somali Dance

2.05pm Astefari (Ethiopian/Hip Hop)

2.25pm Sudanese Catholic Choir

2.50pm Afghan Dance Group

3.10pm South Sudan Musica Band

3.45pm Dereb Desalegn (Ethiopian)

4.20pm King Bell & Soukous Ba Congo

FREE Workshop Program

Yarra Community Youth Centre 156 Napier St Fitzroy

12.45pm – 1.30pm Ethiopian Dance with Dereb & Meron

1.45pm – 2.30pm Congolese Dance with King Bell

3.00pm - 3.45pm Northern Sudanese Dance with Nafisa Ali Mohamed

4.00pm – 4.45pm Somali Dance with Halwa (WOMEN ONLY)

OTHER
1.00pm – 4.00pm Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

12.00pm – 5.00pm Organic vegetarian, halal, African, Middle eastern food available, cultural marketplace and FREE children’s activities.

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This unique three day festival will feature:

Seeking Djira on Friday 17 June from 6.30pm

To launch the festival, Essential Theatre will perform Linda Jaivin’s 2003 hit satire, Seeking Djira. It is a comedy about self-obsession, social conscience, sexual attraction and the mandatory detention of asylum seekers. Directed by David Myles it looks at the plight of asylum seekers in Australia and our attitude towards them. The Horn of Africa Communities Network Youth Theatre Group will also be presenting a new short work, Dancing in the Museum. It is directed by Sudanese playwright Ateif Awad and explores the difficulties of being caught between traditional African and Western cultures. Julian Burnside QC will open this special event. Tickets available at the door: $5.00

Soccer Carnival on Saturday 18 June from 12-5pm at Maribyrnong Reserve.

The inaugural Soccer Carnival will see four teams from Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan battle to take the trophy. The day will be colourful and exciting, with live African drumming, prominent players in attendance and a halal and vegetarian BBQ.

Shades of Love on Saturday 18 June 8pm @ North Melbourne Town Hall

Shades of Love is a unique performance featuring writers, poets, musicians, singers, dancers and comedians from diverse cultural backgrounds, accompanied by a visual art exhibition and a Mediterranean ‘banquet’. Inspired by the Constantine Cavafy (1920) poem, To Call Up the Shades, the artists will pay tribute to love and its various shades by fusing English and other languages to create a choral mix of poetry, light and sound enriched by dance and comedy. Tix $15/ $10 conc at the door.

Festival on Sunday June 19, 12-5pm Fitzroy Town Hall & Napier Street, Fitzroy.

The Fitzroy Town Hall comes alive with a stunning showcase of contemporary and traditional music, dance and culture.
Performers include: Nadia Elbana, Somali Dancers, Orahms Band and Soukous Ba Congo. They will share the stage with a number of emerging artists mentored through Multicultural Arts Victoria's unique VISIBLE artists program and include: Sudan Azza, Azchefari, South Sudan Musica, Lion of Judah and the Sudanese Catholic Choir. Authentic foods and the wonderful aromas of a traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony, enjoy the hustle and bustle of a vibrant and diverse marketplace, and dynamic cultural workshops. There will also be a range of free children's activities.