“Harmony Day is about unity. It is about embracing our fellow Australians as one, regardless of their cultural difference, ethnic or religious backgrounds,” said Coffs Harbour Mayor, Councillor Keith Rhoades, who officially opened the event.
“The fabric of our own community is constantly changing, with new cultures adding their unique gift to the make-up of our city. The Harmony Festival gives us an opportunity to reflect on how we can help build tolerance and show respect for others in our community and the lessons we would like to pass on to future generations.”
The Festival was organised by Council’s Multicultural Reference Group in partnership with the Friends of the Botanic Garden. Together, they have brought together an exciting array of cultural performances from Coffs Harbour’s own local multicultural community, international dance and music stars and headline performer, Aboriginal singer/songwriter Emma Donovan.
As well as extensively touring overseas, Emma Donovan has won many Australian music awards.
This year’s Festival saw the return of the Sydney Bollywood dance company, Sirens Dance, performing a fusion of classical Indian dance and modern western genres. New to the Festival were Tibetan musician Tenzin Choegyal and the ‘Tibetan Monks’
The Festival was sponsored by Coffs Harbour City Council, the South Sydney Rabbitohs’ ‘Souths Cares’ programme, Boambee East Community Centre, SportzCentral, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, 2CS/Star FM and the Friends of the Botanic Garden.
Everyone was invited to this year’s Multicultural Harmony Festival , a free, family event that celebrated Coffs Harbour’s success as a culturally-diverse community, held at the Botanic Garden in Coffs Harbour on Sunday, March 18, from 9.30am.
