Last year’s family festival organised by the United Muslim Sisters of the Latrobe Valley started some conversations about religion and cultural diversity but the community still wanted to know more, according to the group’s president Arfa Khan.
“It has to be an ongoing thing – you can’t just do one year,” Ms Khan said.
At this weekend’s community Eid festival there will be a handful of sessions where people can come and learn about Islam and different cultures.
Eid is an Islamic festival which marks the end of Ramadan.
The sessions will provide people an insight into other cuisines with displays on spices and foods such as dates and there will be opportunities to learn more about other cultural aspects such as clothing.
Ms Khan said people would be able to find answers to questions they may have, such as ‘what is Ramadan?’
“These types of informal discussions create more community linkages … for better understanding,” Ms Khan said.
The food stalls and kids’ rides will make a return this year to the festival which attracted about 500 people to Moe’s Old Gippstown.
Ms Khan said the festival benefited children especially as it allowed them to interact with and learn about different cultural values.
“Most of the children, they don’t meet outside the schools. They don’t have any connections because they go back to their families,” Ms Khan said.
She said it was about educating young people that people may have disagreements, but “should respect each other just the same”.
The festival will be at Old Gippstown again this year and there will be three cultural discussions between 11am and noon, and another three between 2pm and 3pm on the same topics.
A formal proceeding will be held between 1pm and 2pm.
Representatives from Victoria Police will be on hand to answer questions, there will be stalls with health information and a range of community groups present.
There will be popcorn, face painting, henna tattoos, an animals farm, zorb ball, craft stalls and more.
It will be on Sunday, July 1 from 10am-4pm and will cost $5 per person or $15 per family.
For more information, email access.umslvpresident@gmail.com.
