La Trobe Art Institute Bendigo stands on Jaara Country of which the members and elders of the Dja Dja Wurrung community and their forebears have been custodians for many centuries. We acknowledge their living culture and their unique role in the life of this region.
You're invited
PERFORMANCE + CONVERSATION
THEY CANNOT TAKE THE SKY: STORIES FROM DETENTION
SATURDAY 14 MARCH 2020 2:00 PM
[FREE]
Join us as we celebrate our current exhibition They Cannot Take the Sky: Stories from Detention with performance and conversation.
Spoken-word poet Hani Abdile will perform, followed by a conversation with local Rural Australians for Refugees president, Chris Cummins. Then, continue your evening by joining the festivities of Zinda festival in the park.
Hani Abdile is a writer and spoken word poet, who fled the civil war in Somalia. Although only in her early 20s, Hani has already lived more than most of us; being only 16 when she fled Somalia alone, she was forced to leave her siblings and family behind. She made her way to Australia by boat and spent 11 months on Christmas Island. While detained, Hani found healing in writing poetry. Hani began writing about her life and in part, it was to improve her English speaking and writing abilities.
Hani is an honorary member of PEN International, a lead writer for the Writing Through Fences group, and has received numerous awards for her community work and many achievements since being released from immigration detention. Her first book I Will Rise was published in 2016 to critical acclaim. Hani continues tapping into the power of the spoken word and has a strong vision to shape the world through pen and paper.
They Cannot Take the Sky: Stories from Detention is an exhibition of personal stories from people who have sought asylum in Australia and have been detained by the Australian government under its mandatory detention policy. The exhibition was developed by Behind the Wire and a volunteer reference committee of individuals with lived experience of seeking asylum, in collaboration with Melbourne’s Immigration Museum. The regional tour of Stories from Detention is being co-presented by Behind the Wire and Road to Refuge.
Zinda Festival is Bendigo’s multicultural festival (presented by Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services) that celebrates music, dance, food and cultures that contribute to the vibrancy of regional Victoria. Zinda Festival will be held on March the 14th 2020 from 6pm at Rosiland Park Bendigo and will kick off Cultural Diversity Week.
