In a celebration of Global Futures, Curtin University was delighted to host the Africa Day 2024 community festival at Curtin Stadium on Saturday, May 25 2024, in partnership with the Organisation of African Communities in Western Australia (OACWA). The event saw over 500 members of Western Australia’s vibrant and diverse African communities come together to celebrate the annual anniversary of pan-African unity, a tradition that dates back to 1963.
The lively festival featured a variety of activities, including a soccer tournament, food stalls offering African cuisine, fashion shows, and performances of dance and music from across the African continent and its diaspora. The event was graced by addresses from Hon. Toni Buti, Minister for Citizenship and Multiculturalism; Hon. Amber-Jade Sanderson, Minister for Health and Mental Health; and Hon. Ayor Makur Chuot MLC. A significant highlight of the festival was the celebration of the first birthday of Curtin’s Centre for Australia-Africa Relations led by Centre Director and Dean Global, Africa, Associate Professor David Mickler.
Launched by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Harlene Hayne a year ago, the Centre aims to promote engagement between Curtin University, the African continent and African communities within Australia.
Celebrating Africa-focused work in the Faculty of Humanities: recent activities
Faculty of Humanities sessional academic shortlisted for the WA Premier’s Book Award
In related news, Dr. Chemutai Glasheen, a sessional academic, has made significant strides in the literary world. Dr. Glasheen, who completed her PhD in creative writing at Curtin recently, saw her work published by Fremantle Press last year. Her book, I am the Mau and Other Stories, a collection of short stories set in Kenya, has just been shortlisted for the WA Premier’s Book Award in the Emerging Writer category.
The book is celebrated for its exploration of contemporary Kenyan life and its underlying human rights issues. Described as a celebration of ubuntu—the invisible ties that bind us all—I am the Mau and Other Stories showcases characters drawn from Glasheen’s early life in Africa. Through these evocative stories, she explores the duality of navigating between two cultures and the richness, diversity, and complexity of Kenyan life.
Groundbreaking study of African Australians’ political and economic impact
Data collection is underway for an ARC funded research project led by Dean Global Futures and Curtin sociology academic Professor Farida Fozdar and colleagues, to determine African migrants’ engagement in the Australian political and economic spheres.
“So often we hear about African communities in Australia through a deficit lens, with a focus on unemployment, racism, ‘youth gangs’ and so on” said Professor Fozdar. “This only tells a minor part of the story. This project, which uses a survey, interviews, web analysis, and other methods, seeks to extend our understanding of how African Australians exercise their agency, and contribute to Australia and their regions of origin through their communities and the economy”.
Faculty of Humanities Scholar and poet releases recent work
Dr Yirga Woldeyes is a scholar within the Faculty of Humanities Centre for Human Rights Education, and is also an accomplished poet. One of his latest works, published by Fremantle Press, is entitled “I have no country”.
Yirga explains: “The poem reflects on that question often asked to Black people: ‘Where is your country?’ So often, this is not a genuine question, but one that seeks to decentre us from the place where we live and call home. Additionally, so often the answer is already assumed, that we must come from some place of suffering. This poem uses Indigenous Ethiopian and Australian philosophy on existence and place to turn this question on its head, to say that my heritage makes me a country beyond what the questioner can understand. The poem presents the essence of being human as an embodiment of spirit and nature. …it challenges the belief in being a citizen of one country, and speculates on how black people can gain freedom by being ‘unbounded’, by refusing to be tied to the written histories and accounts of who they are. The poem uses Indigenous Nyungar and Ethiopian names of places and rivers.”
Working across languages is a challenge. Yirga says “The translation is as close to the original Amharic as possible, but with major phrasing changes given English and Amharic have such different syntax structures. Unfortunately, the English translation loses much of the Amharic rhyme and rhythm, but I have tried to make the English as elegant as possible while still communicating the Amharic message.”
Listen to Bron Bateman sit down with Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes and Afeif Ismail to chat about translating texts and the consequential loss of original meaning and intention in the below podcast produced by the Fremantle Press:
The Africa Day Festival and the achievements of Dr. Glasheen, Dr. Woldeyes, and the ARC research highlight Curtin University’s commitment to celebrating cultural diversity and deepening Australia-Africa understandings, emphasising Curtin’s commitment to global engagement.
Ruvi Goredema, PhD candidate, School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry (MCASI), Curtin
Nothando Ngwenya, Project Officer, African Impact in Australia, School of MCASI, Curtin
Professor Farida Fozdar, Dean Global Futures, Faculty of Humanities, Curtin
Hon. Ayor Makur Chuot MLC, Member for North Metropolitan Region
Dr Casty Nyaga-Hughes, President, Organisation of African Communities in Western Australia (OACWA)
Joe Tuazama, Chair Advisory Board, OACWA
Associate Professor David Mickler, Dean Global, Africa and Director, Centre for Australia-Africa Relations, Curtin
