Freelance writer, Mel Harwin, of Killcare, is one of three locals involved in the interactive art exhibition Yaama Ngura: A Celebration of Belonging, to be held at the Flavours by the Sea festival.
The exhibit, created alongside freelance photographer Hilda Bezuidenhout, and Uncle Gavi Duncan, was part of a larger project aimed at showcasing stories and giving visibility to more Central Coast locals who come from diverse backgrounds and cultures, shown through artwork and writing created by both Harwin and Bezuidenhout.
A smoke ceremony also took place to welcome 10 immigrants and the exhibition's subjects to Australia. Some of whom even after a decade here remain refugees with only temporary visas. The exhibit was named by Uncle Gavi Duncan and is a way to welcome in his Gomeroi language. All the stories are centred around cultural welcomings. Understanding that before belonging there must be a ritual of welcoming
The festival hosted a series of stalls, displays, and performances showcasing the diverse cultures within the Central Coast community. Harwin is a freelance writer who grew up in Biripi country on the mid-north coast of NSW and now lives here on Darkinjung country. She hoped audiences would see the presentation as more than just a static one-day exhibition or event.
“As the writer/storyteller on the project, it’s ironically very complicated to put appropriate words to the stories that have been shared with me,” she said. “The resilience, strength and just pure human interest elements are profound….It’s been exciting collaborating, and this is just the beginning of a project which is evolving into something much bigger quite quickly.
“Together, we hope to make our incredible culturally and linguistically diverse community on the Coast more visible.”
Bezuidenhout came to Australia from South Africa in 2003. “After a few years of slowly making a home for myself here, I was involved in a special event whereby the African community living on the Coast received a First Nations welcome,” she said.“Elders Gavi Duncan and Phillip Bligh led a Sunrise smoking ceremony at the Terrigal Skillion for us. “As a migrant, this welcome meant so much more than the citizenship ceremony I attended a few years prior…It gave me a sense of belonging and years later birthed a desire to start this project and have others experience something similar.”
Central Coast Council Director of Community and Recreation Services, Julie Vaughan, said the festival embraces the Harmony Day message of “everyone belongs” by showcasing music, art and cuisine from across the world.
Jacinta Counihan - Coast Community News, April 9, 2021
