ST KILDA Town Hall throbbed to the rhythm of African drums and Asiatic guitar songs yesterday in a swirl of colour and movement to mark the Festival of Refugees.
About 400 people filled the town hall to see and hear from refugees, from pockets of the world little heard of, such as Nagaland (a far-flung province of north-east India) to Uighurs (an ethnic group living in eastern and central Asia).
Organised by a community group, Act for Peace, with the backing of the Victorian Council of Churches, it was the fifth year of a celebration to mark the rich contribution to Australia's multiculturalism that refugees and migrants make.
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''This is about recognising the contributions refugees make to Australia,'' director Alistair Gee said.
Iglay Dangassat, 24, who performs traditional Bakongo dances with the Afro Bongo Dance troupe, escaped conflict in Brazzaville, Congo, and arrived in Australia in 2007.
''I've been in horrible situations back home, of war, and stayed in camps. You're just living day to day.
''When I came here, I can study, plan out the rest of my life and see a lot of opportunity,'' he said.
He's now a permanent resident, married, and studying accounting at RMIT. He is on the university's swimming team, competing in the 50-metre backstroke.
But it's not all smiles. Afghan refugee Said Ihsanullah Dileri applied for asylum while in Australia, but his wife and two young children fled the dangers in his home country to Pakistan.
''I lost everything back home,'' he said. ''My son thinks I don't want to see them and my daughter thinks I don't like them. As a father, this leaves me in a shattering situation.''
Source : http://www.smh.com.au/
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