Bega Valley Multicultural Festival filled Pambula Town Hall with colour and joy on Saturday, March 18.
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The event began with a heartfelt and powerful 'Welcome to Country' from Monaroo Elder Uncle BJ Cruse.
Flags of the world decorated the hall on Quondola St, as children pointed hoping they would be able to guess each country correctly.
One young father uttered, "I think that's Greece" before a quick Google search confirmed the blue and white striped flag's heritage.
"We are gathering as migrants who really know what it is like not to be home, but rather in a foreign land. We are one family but we come from different continents," said Charity, a young mother from Zimbabwe.
"Multicultural day allows us to lean about other cultures and try their food. I wouldn't usually cook spicy food, but now my son loves it spicy," she continued.
Emma Stewart from Jirribitti Dreaming facilitated a cultural healing workshop with her son, Nate.
"Ochre helps us remember who we come from," said Emma, a proud Bidijigal woman, as she poured small vials of ochre into an abalone shell.
"We're connected to different nations up and down the coast. Line country down south. This represents lineage and our connection to our ancestors," she said, as she began painting lines across Nate's arms and legs.
Gabrielle Journey Jones from Poetic Percussion, confidently shared the process of how to perform spoken word.
"It's all about the performance side of it, and what it takes to stand up on a soapbox and do your thing. Heaps of people have never been on a mic before, so my goal is to give them a chance to share themselves and cultural background," Gabrielle said.
A young mother of two stood nervously on the stage in navy and white polka dots. "I've only been learning for about five weeks," she said.
The music began, and she simultaneously took a deep breath, before performing a flamenco dance, her teacher Veronica Valderrama watching on.
"It was just the best", Cayce Hill, community liaison at Bega Multicultural Centre said with a smile.
"It just makes me feel connected and supported in a small community that you would think doesn't have that much diversity or multiculturalism, but in fact has one of the most multicultural and vibrant places that I've lived."