Harmony Day 2024

A day to celebrate many cultures...

On the 21st March 2024, Deakin Res hosted a Harmony Day event that brought together 238 attendees from Burwood to celebrate diversity and inclusion on res. Harmony Day is celebrated every year on March 21 in Australia, a day dedicated to honouring the many cultures that make up the nation and paying tribute to the Indigenous Australians. 

The festivities kicked off with a West African drumming workshop led by the talented Appiah Annan. Appiah skilfully introduced residents to the joys and rhythms of African dance and beats.

“My favourite part of Harmony Day was the African Drum lesson. The session really brought everyone in the room together with the drum beats and created an amazing atmosphere. I would love to experience it again! Res is a melting-pot of people from different cultures, and it is always amazing to see everyone engaging in events celebrating various cultures different from their own. A memorable moment was seeing everyone engaging with full enthusiasm during the African drum beats session!”

This was followed by a Chinese fan dancing session hosted by the gifted Bonnie Fearn, who deftly got our residents moving as one, to create stunning, shifting artworks with their coloured fans.

These fantastic workshops were brought to us by Cultural Infusion, an organisation founded in 2002 to unite musicians from culturally diverse backgrounds and promote intercultural understanding worldwide. They aim to build cultural harmony and well-being through their schools' program. Today they are a noted industry leader, delivering their programs to more than 300,000 students per year.

 “Harmony Day provided residents an opportunity to be exposed to a blend of diverse cultures and traditions through sharing of stories, delicious food, as well cultural dances, and music. It was a great way to celebrate differences and embrace unity and cohesion.

The event also featured delicious food from Flying Woks who served their famous stir-frys and fried rice, and Dutch Pancakes, who provided a sweet end to the day.

The event was a huge success, fostering a sense of unity and appreciation for different cultures amongst our residents.