Sudanese Festival at the Immigration Museum, April 2008
Image: Rodney Start
Source: Museum Victoria
Almost 1800 people soaked up the unique atmosphere and hopped and bopped to the sound of drumming at the Immigration Museum’s Sudanese Festival on Saturday 12 April.
Organised by Victoria’s Sudanese community in collaboration with Museum staff, the festival offered visitors the chance to experience and enjoy music and dance performances, family activities and food, whilst gaining a new perspective on the Sudanese community in Melbourne and Victoria.
A fleet of buses supported by the Victorian Multicultural Commission and the Museum brought Sudanese-Australians from across Victoria to the festival day.
Community dance performances included: Rumbeek Community (Dinka), the Dombay Dancing Group, Equatoria Community, Chollo Community, Bor Community, Dinka Ngoc Community and Sudanese Luacjang group of Australia.
The day concluded with a spirited performance by Sudanese singer, songwriter and storyteller, Ajak Kwai.
The festival also saw the premiere of a new documentary film exploring stories of Sudanese settlement in Victoria, highlighting the personal stories of five Sudanese who have made Victoria their home. The film will now become a part of the Immigration Discovery Centre’s collection and can be accessed on its big screen.