Celebrating Victoria's Diverse Cultures

Victorians come from more than 200 countries, speak more than 180 languages and dialects and follow more than 110 religious faiths. Through its Community Festivals program, the Immigration Museum is connecting communities in celebration, and showcasing the richness of Victoria's diverse cultures.

At the Immigration Museum's Sudanese Festival in April 2008, there was barely room to move. Every space was taken by people eating, talking, dancing, singing and laughing. In the centre of the Museum's courtyard, traditional Sudanese dance and music captured everyone's attention as groups of people in traditional costume performed. For this emerging Victorian community, it was a rare and cherished opportunity to bring their own people together in celebration and to show the broader community the richness of their culture and traditions.

Generating wonder, curiosity and excitement from non-Sudanese visitors to the event as well as from passers-by, this Festival showed how the Immigration Museum works to foster cultural understanding while at the same time celebrate Victoria's extraordinary diversity.

The Immigration Museum's community festivals explore both the diverse traditions of Victoria's communities as well as mark significant milestones - such as the 2007 Turkish Festival which celebrated the 40^th anniversary of official immigration from Turkey. The impact of this festival lasted much longer than the day's festivities. In 2008, the exhibition which was put together for the festival toured to Ankara, Turkey, for the enjoyment of locals and visitors alike.

German born Barbara Jakob, who worked with the Museum on the 2007 German Festival, says one of the most amazing things was the way the Festival brought together Germans of all ages, with very different interests, from all parts of Melbourne. "We don't have a unified identity in Melbourne. The community is so big there was no one German organisation that could cover it all. It took some time to bring together all the different groups and all the different ideas."

This extensive discussion period resulted in a festival that reflected both traditional Germany including its food and music and the interests of young Germans including hip hop and dance music.

"It is the credit of the Immigration Museum to involve so many people in the preparation for the Festival," says Barbara. "The feeling of togetherness within the German community strengthened whilst working toward the day. Suddenly people of all ages started the process of thinking about their own identity as a community."