Community radio has been going on in Australia since the 1970s but it’s relatively new in the UK. Ethnic radio stations like 4EB have launched in the UK too. Wing Lau was hosting Chinese language radio programs on EAVA FM the UK and has recently come to Brisbane. She talks about coming here from Hong Kong via the UK and all about her radio program.
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Natal talked to Samson Joseph, manager of the African Fashion Show, and two other fashion designers, Sarah Jackson and Gracy Orla Ticout.
Samson Joseph is South Sudanese born and fled his country to Egypt due the crisis in the Sudan. From Egypt, he moved to Australia in 2004 to pursue further studies and better life.
Samson’s love for interior designs, architecture and beautiful houses led to establishing his business: A + Fashion.
This year’s African Fashion show was huge; it featured four different designers showcasing their dresses, three dance groups and four music performances.
Fashion designer Sarah Jackson, also from South Sudan, moved to Australia in 2005 to pursue further education and focus on design.
Sarah says she is studying fashion design at MSIT College and hopes to get her company label more recognized in the near future.
Gracy Orla Ticout moved to Australia from France in 2010 to study Hospitality Management.
She created her fashion line, ‘Orla Dee’ to present African design and to see the African princes to blossom in the African community and mainstream Australian society. She also works in one of Brisbane’s best restaurants.
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LINK: A+ Fashion [Facebook]
Rapper, poet and speaker Omar Musa is releasing a new novel later this month.
Here Come the Dogs follows the lives of three friends from different ethnic backgrounds living in a small town in Australia.
This is Omar’s first fictional novel, following his two poetry books Parang and The Clocks.
Omar’s writing is drawn from his experiences in his own life: his Malaysian background, and the block of flats in the multicultural neighbourhood he grew up in, within his small hometown of Queanbeyan in regional Australia.
He is an award-winning slam poet and has collaborated with hip hop artists around the world. You might have seen him perform Slam Poetry from the Streets at TED Talks Sydney, where he received a standing ovation from the audience.
Omar chatted to us about writing Here Come the Dogs, the culture of a small town and the changing, multicultural face of Australian poetry.
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Here Come the Dogs will be officially released on July 23 with launches in cities all around Australia, featuring performances, author talks and book signings.
More details about the launches at the Penguin Books website.
Over the last few months, changes to the Racial Discrimination Act have sparked much discussion about racism in Australia. Recently, a video recorded on a phone of a woman racially abusing another on public transport went viral.
Azlan Petra has made fighting against racism his career, working with asylum seekers, humanitarian groups and communities around the world. He’s currently working to address racial profiling in Victoria – which you may remember us talking about way back last year with Maki Issa, one of the African men involved in the civil case against Victoria Police. In his spare time, Azlan occasionally blogs and tweets for our friends The Two Chairs, an anti-racism online project.
Tweets by @whereRUfrom_auAzlan talks to us about growing up in multicultural Malaysia, the legal side of racism discussion in Australia and where we’re at in terms of addressing it.
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LINK: The Two Chairs
Follow @azlanpetra on Twitter
Botoka Motsumi is a migrant from Botswana who moved to Australia in 2003. He studied to become a high school teacher, and now runs the Ministry of Entertainment.
Botoka graduated with a double degree in Arts and Teaching from the University of New England. Now he’s a high school teacher and giving a helping hand with education in Brisbane, running the Ministry of Entertainment here and in the town of Inverell in New South WAles.
The Ministry of Entertainment is about reviving people using all kinds of entertainment like spelling, quizzes, motivational speaking and sports. Inspired by communal village living from his upbringing in Botswana, Botoka is hoping to help people
Botoka talks about his passion for bringing people together to live communally, to share experiences and have fun.
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LINK: Botoka Motsumi [LinkedIn]
Islamic Museum of Australia director Sherene Hassan
We’re currently in the middle of the Holy month of Ramadan. During this month, millions of Muslims around the world fast from sunrise to sunset and observe the tenets of Islam.
A few months ago, the Islamic Museum of Australia opened in Victoria. As well as displaying art and artefacts, the museum also displays stories about the first Muslims in Australia, who started visiting before European settlers.
Islamic Museum of Australia director Sherene Hassan chatted to us about how the museum has been changing minds, dispelling misconceptions and educating the public about Islam. She also talks about her own experiences celebrating Ramadan growing up in Australia – from primary school to her work and family life.
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Part of the Darebin Ethnic Communitiy Council in Melbourne’s north assists asylum seekers at the Asylum Seeker Welcome Lounge. 
Rajith Savanadasa, an engineer with a passion for writing, became interested in the stories of asylum seekers as he saw Tamils from his homeland of Sri Lanka try to settle in Australia. With the assistance of the Darebin Ethnic Community Council, Rajith founded the Open City Stories project. Open City Stories is a blog of Rajith’s conversations with the asylum seekers he meets at the Welcome Lounge. They talk about their everyday lives as well as the trauma that led them to seek asylum in Australia. Rajith tells us about Open City Stories, refugees in the City of Darebin, and the story of his own first day in Australia. LINK: Open City Stories Click here to download
Ellson Yap
Hailing from fast-paced, humid Singapore, self-proclaimed “otaku” Ellson Yap is studying food science at the University of Queensland. Our international student contributor May Yuen chats to Ellson about weather, food, work, transport and happiness in Brisbane in comparison to Singapore.
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The World Refugee Day Community Festival began with a citizenship ceremony. Many people from diverse refugee backgrounds took an oath and received their Australian citizenship certificates. Some of them became new citizens with their families.
L-R: Kyar Pan Ni, Zon Pan Phyu, Nay Htet Hla and Aye Aye Mon
We met one of the families afterwards. Mother Aye Aye Mon, her teenage daughters Kyar Pan Ni and Zon Pan Phyu, and her little son Nay Htet Hla, came to the ceremony in their colourful national dress. They talked to us about coming to Australia from their homeland of Burma.
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Manju (right) with Iraqi cook Nazek (middle) and an audience member
The Wokipedia stall at the festival featured cooking demonstrations by migrants and refugees showcasing their national food. MC’ing the event was sassy Indian cook Manju Jehu. Manju’s made a name for herself by being an active figure in Australia’s Indian community, and wowing audiences on TV show Recipe to Riches with her special samosas recipe.
Manju (left) dances with Iranian cook Lida (right) while they wait for the rice to boil
After cooking and dancing with Nazek from Iraq and Lida from Iran, Manju talked to us about food and her life in Australia after coming her over 30 years ago.
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