The Multicultural Club meet every Friday at lunch, to discuss the different cultural experiences that students at JSRACS encounter, and how our school’s rich diversity can be explored and shared. For Term 2, the club has focused on organising a whole school event celebrating Africa Day. The goal of this event was to educate staff and students on Africa’s rich history, and to celebrate the families of students at the school with African heritage.
Africa Day is celebrated internationally on the 25 May and highlights the day the African Nations gathered as a union, which is known as the Organisation of African Unity. Some of their key aims were to eradicate colonialism and to encourage political and economic integration between member states. This day marks the progression of the African Union, and the determination to free themselves from colonialism. The day provides an opportunity to acknowledge the achievements of the peoples and governments of Africa.
In Australia, the day is celebrated in partnership with numerous African Australian community organisations, members of the diplomatic corps, government organisations and numerous community organisations. The aim of these groups is to celebrate the diverse African-Australian cultures, as well as providing various platforms for people of diverse backgrounds to meet, socialise and share experiences. For students at JSRACS, this day gives African students a sense of pride, for not only their individual country, but the nation as a whole. African students think of it as a day to reflect on their past struggles, celebrate their progress, and reaffirm their commitments to the future of the continent. It is a day to think about the rich history, culture, and traditions of Africa, and the journey for African-Australians within our community.
To celebrate this important day, The Multicultural Club held a lunchtime event on Friday, 9 June, and invited the JSRACS community to get involved. Students from all different ages and ethnic backgrounds came together each week during the term, to brainstorm, plan, and create resources for the event. On the day, the group arranged for a Blooket to be distributed to PCGs, which explored a range of interesting facts about the
continent of Africa. After PCG, staff and students were invited to the Middle School Learning Street to be part of an immersive exhibition that included; informative displays about the clothing, food, languages, cultural practices and religions in each of the different regions of Africa; African music; musical performances; face painting; and a demonstration of an Ethiopian Coffee demonstration known as Buna.
It was an incredibly educational and enjoyable event, where the students were proud to be sharing knowledge and cultural experiences, and the Multicultural Club look forward to putting on more events like this to celebrate the diversity this school has to offer!
Elise McDermott
Secondary Teacher
