Multiculture on Show

LIVING and Learning Skills and Wellbeing Centres are proud to be partnering with the Parklea Pakenham and District Agricultural and Horticultural Show again to expand the entertainment on offer at this year’s Show.
This year Harmony Day will again be celebrating Cardinia’s rich cultures within the community at the Show.
Harmony Day is a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home – from the traditional owners of this land to those who have come from many countries around the world.
By participating in Harmony Day activities, we can celebrate multiculturalism in Australia and how Cardinia’s migrants and refugees are contributing to a diverse and harmonious community.
Some of the cultural events taking place are:
A variety of multicultural dance exhibitions, African drumming, art workshops and children’s activities together with multicultural resource information.
The Chilean Folk Dance Group Violeta Parra will be one of the groups participating. It is a not-for-profit organisation established in the South East suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, in 1988. They have been actively showcasing the cultural dances of Chile for the Australian community for over 27 years dancing at charities, fund- raisers, festivals and private functions.
The association’s main goal is to pass on the diverse cultural traditions of Chile through the art of music and dance as well as to embrace, respect and contribute to multiculturalism in a rich, diverse Australia.
Violeta Parra has significantly contributed to the multicultural community of Melbourne for many years and is a familiar and respected dance group with Multicultural Arts Victoria, Victorian Multicultural Arts Commission and City of Casey.
The group consists of dancers from as young as five years old and welcome students from all ages and races to learn the art of Chilean dancing.
The dancing is based on traditional styles from the many different regions of Chile such as Polynesian styles from Easter Island, the vibrant styles of the North, the South, religious, Indigneous and the most famous Central Cueca.
A special screening of Children of the Crocodile by local producer Marsha Emerman is sure to be a favourite of many at 11am at the Living Learning.
The documentary was directed and produced by local filmmaker Marsha Emerman, and captures the moment in time when East Timor won its freedom as well as the journey of Elizabeth and Cidalia who discover the new connections to the homeland they fought for, but never knew.
After the screening at Living Learning Pakenham at 11am, Bernardo Duarte, an East Timorese artist who was involved in the events depicted in the film and its production will hold a Q and A session.