By Candice BoylE
CULTURAL diversity was embraced by many City of Maribyrnong residents last month during Refugee Week celebrations.
Art, photography, movies, sport and creative workshops were included in an extensive program for Refugee Week 2007 ‘Voices of Youth’ celebrations, held across the municipality from Monday 18 June to Saturday 23 June.
The Maribyrnong Refugee Week committee, who collaboratively planned and hosted the free community events, incorporated the skills of representatives from Maribyrnong City Council, AMES, Melbourne City Mission, Migrant Resource Centre, Western Bulldogs, Footscray Police, Living Museum of the West, New Hope Foundation, The Smith Family, the Women’s Circus and Centrelink.
The week-long program was launched at the first screening of Emmy Award nominee documentary, ‘The Lost Boys of Sudan’ at the Sun Theatre in Yarraville.
Throughout the week, residents were also immersed in refugee culture during the activity day in Braybrook and also during the Umoja art exhibition created by Sudanese women at the Footscray Library and the photography exhibition of Ethiopian life at the Highpoint Library.
