The Melbourne Writer’s Festival is coming to Hobsons Bay, featuring compelling storytelling that explores experiences of growing up as a member of the Arab community in Australia and the impact on identity, belonging and isolation.
Editors Randa Abdel-Fattah and Sara Saleh are heading to the Newport Community Hub to discuss their anthology Arab, Australian, Other, and the importance of community storytelling.
There are 22 separate nationalities that make up the Arab community. These nationalities represent an enormous variety of cultural backgrounds and experiences which, however, tend to be swept under the one banner. By sharing this collection of individual stories, Arab, Australian, Other aims to smash the stereotypes of Arabs in Australia.
Randa Abdel-Fattah is a postdoctoral Research Fellow at Macquarie University, researching the impact of the generational war on terror on Muslim and non-Muslim youth born into a post 9/11 world. Sara Saleh is a poet and activist. A campaigner for refugee rights and racial justice, she has spent the past decade working with Amnesty International and CARE International in Australia and the Middle East. Together, they are challenging mainstream media in their broad-sweeping view of the Arab community and using the anthology to change perceptions of what it means to be Arabic in Australia.
Hobsons Bay is home to people from more than 144 countries of origin, speaking over 100 languages and celebrating over 90 faiths. According to the Census 2016, 30 per cent of our community in Hobsons Bay were born overseas, 23 per cent of our community came from non-English speaking countries and 29 per cent of our community in Hobsons Bay speak a language other than English at home. Arabic is the most common language other than English spoken in Hobsons Bay.
Come along on this storytelling journey and immerse yourself in the experiences and culture of Arab, Australian, Other.
Numbers are limited so make sure you secure your spot now by heading to https://libraries.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au
Arab, Australian, Other
Monday 2 September, 6.30pm to 7.30pm
Newport Community Hub, 13 Mason Street, Newport
For bookings visit libraries.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/ or phone 1300 HOB LIB (1300 462 542).
