“That’s what the day is about – all of the people who attend the festival are there to appreciate the cultures, taste different foods, see different handcraft and see different events. We’ve got henna artists; the Acholi women, they’ll be doing hair braiding; we’ll have different groups doing cultural weaving; turban tying, we had that last year and that was a crowd pleaser. It’s just about getting everyone together and appreciating lots of different cultures and what everyone has to offer.
Last year’s event brought in approximately 10,000 visitors, which means it’s a massive platform for all of the emerging cultural groups. “It’s also an opportunity for our professional acts to come through Multicultural Arts Victoria,” says Kendall. “We also exhibit a lot of the different cultural groups in and around Springvale, Dandenong, Noble Park. Groups from that area who wouldn’t have much opportunity for a stage or an audience this big, it gives them a chance to exhibit.”
Music will feature throughout the day, and the participating artists represent a broad range of cultures. “We’ve seen a number of the musical acts play before,” Kendall says. “Ribeleon are a crowd pleaser. They’re a lot of fun to have. T Rhythm are headlining the festival, they’ll be very loud, very fun. The Maritain dance group that are performing are going to have amazing costumes, very loud and full of colour. Expect a lot of dancing.”
With similarly natured cultural community festivals popping up in various parts of Melbourne, one wonders what’s made Emerge so successful during its 12 year history. “One of the things that makes it a success in this area is our involvement with the Refugee Action Program, and we work directly with all these community groups,” Kendall says. “It becomes their festival – it’s all about showcasing their arts and crafts, their dance, their food, and because we work with them all throughout the year, not just the festival, it’s a good way of engaging with them.”
Although Emerge itself has been running for quite some time, this is Kendall’s first year organising the event. “It does seem like I’ve been chucked into the deep end of the swimming pool but it’s been great, a lot of fun,” she says. “Challenging, making sure that everything is going to work properly and run smoothly, but it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve really enjoyed it.
“There’s been a lot of engagement with the community groups that have been involved – we’re engaged with them anyway but there’s been a lot of work getting this organised. We’ve had heaps of support from our committee, which included the Dandenong markets, Greater Dandenong City Council, Multicultural Arts Victoria. It’s really been a collaborative event from all those organisations. When the expression of interest forms went out last year, we got a lot of excitement. A lot of people putting their hands up to be involved again from all the different fields, selling at stalls, serving food, great involvement all around.”
BY THOMAS BRAND
