RELATED STORY: A cultural experience
MORE than 2500 people turned out to Riverside Park on Saturday for the fifth annual Harmony Day.
In what organisers called the most successful event to date, a combination of performances, food stalls, cultural experiences and activities were enjoyed by people across Swan Hill’s diverse community.
Performances included a dance through the Marruk Project by local Tati Tati Wadi Wadi man Jeremiah Kirby with nationally acclaimed dancer Nikki Ashby. The pair worked through six days of intensive rehearsals ahead of the show and Mr Kirby will teach the dance with community members later this year for a film clip commissioned by the Victorian College of Arts.
Children from the south Sudanese community performed a dance to the song This Time for Africa, while members of the Filipino, Indigenous and Afghani communities also performed traditional dance pieces.
Cuisine from Iraq, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, and the Philippines was served from several food stalls.
Mauritian flower arrangements were crafted for visitors who stopped by the Gifts Hub, a project organised through the Gifts of Translation program. The program aims to promote cultural sharing and will culminate in a theatre event later in the year after a series of events and workshops involving the local community.
“Someone said to me at the end of the night, there were so many people dancing with each other. Not just dancing on their own or in their group. And she said, hopefully when they see each other down the street they’ll say hello and remember when they shared that moment together…”
Regional Arts Victoria and Swan Hill Rural City Council creative arts facilitator Kim Bennett said they had “hit the sweet spot” with this year’s festival in terms of bringing the best acts and activities from the community together on the day.
“I think Harmony Day gives people an opportunity to celebrate,” Ms Bennett said.
“To celebrate being in a beautiful place by the river, celebrate culturally and as an overall community.”
Ms Bennett said the highlight was ending the celebrations with a performance by Afghani musician Taqi Khan, who had everyone on their feet.
“Someone said to me at the end of the night, there were so many people dancing with each other. Not just dancing on their own or in their group. And she said, hopefully when they see each other down the street they’ll say hello and remember when they shared that moment together.”
Ms Bennett paid tribute to the efforts of council staff, volunteers and members of the community who assisted in the running of the event.
More than 30 people volunteered in different aspects of the event.
A council initiative encouraging people to ride their bikes to Riverside Park for the festival by offering $5 gift vouchers led to about 25 people cycling over the course of the event.
Ms Bennett said every year they responded to feedback from the community and this year had brought in some new events.
“We had a vibrant set of stalls, including henna, which had to be the most popular thing on the day,” she said.
“No one wanted them to stop.”
All community members are invited to give comments on the Harmony Day Facebook page or attend a de-briefing of this year’s event on Tuesday, April 1, at 6pm.
