Harmony Week with YPRL

At YPRL, we are dedicated to shaping communities where everyone belongs, particularly through the art of Storytelling. Celebrate Harmony Week with us by sharing and listening to stories that celebrate our diverse cultures and traditions. There is something for everyone at YPRL: whether you enjoy a bit of live theatre or trying your hand at collage, to wandering through an exhibition, learning about a new culture, or discovering a local author. Our experiences ensure you’ll learn something new about another culture, or about yourself and your connection to home and community.

Did You Know:

• we identify with over 300 ancestries

• since 1945, more than 7.5 million people have migrated to Australia

• 85% of Australians agree multiculturalism has been good for Australia

• apart from English, the most common languages spoken in Australia are Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, Tagalog/Filipino, Hindi, Spanish and Punjabi (and yes, we have many of these languages in our LOTE collection!)

Discover our Harmony Week events:

Storyholding: Collage Workshop, Tuesday 11 March, 6.00pm—8.00pm at Eltham Library

Local artist Rochelle Van Der Merwe will guide you in this hands-on workshop, to explore the theme of storytelling and telling your own story through the medium of collage. Expect a warm and inviting space to get creative and have some fun!

Homeland Stories Exhibition, Ivanhoe Library & Cultural Hub, 17 March – 6 April

Visit this interactive exhibition at the Loft 275 Gallery, located inside Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub. Watch and listen to digital stories of local migrants, who share their experiences moving to another country and who now call Australia home. The exhibition is open during normal library hours.

Dyhana Tea Ceremony, Wednesday 19 March, 11.00am—12.30pm at Diamond Valley Library

This special event is designed to foster a sense of peace, mindfulness, and community.

You will learn about the history and significance of this ancient ritual, and gain a deeper understanding of health and wellbeing through meditation.

Ciao Italy! A Celebration of Immigration, Thursday 20 March, 7.00pm—8.00pm at Mill Park Library

Ciao Italy! promises laughter, dancing, and audience participation. This fun and light-hearted performance explores the history and impacts of migrants arriving in Australia for the first time after World War II.

Based on a true story, Ciao Italy! is a fusion of dance, comedy, and drama that will have the whole family entertained.

Author Talk: Beneath the Fig Leaves, Thursday 20 March, 10.30am—11.30am at Lalor Library

Join local author Olympia Panagiotopoulos in a discussion about her book Beneath the Fig Leaves.

This part-memoir relates intimate details of her family’s emigration story from Greece to Australia, with a focus on food and its power to unite people.

The book also features Olympia’s family recipes from her homeland.

Can’t make it to an event? Here are some great book recommendations that highlight our diverse cultures:

Lucky’s by Andrew Pippos

Lucky's will have you travelling across time and continents, as Pippos recounts the story of Lucky, a Greek immigrant to Australia in the 1950s. Centered around his famed, titular diner “Lucky’s”, this somewhat tragic tale deals with family values and the lasting intergenerational guilt and trauma that plagues the Mallios family.

Dirrayawadha by Anita Heiss

Also available as an eBook (Libby), and eAudio (Libby). 

Be prepared for this work of historical fiction to captivate you. A story of love, survival, and truth telling, Dirrayawadha is set during the Frontier Wars in the 1820s – specifically the Bathurst War on Wirandyuri Country. Dirrayawadha can be translated as ‘rise up’, which tells you something about the fighting spirit and resistance of the Wiradyuri people to protect their lands and loved ones.

Migrations: A History of Where We All Come From

Be transported through the visual imagery of Migrations, an all-encompassing book which details how people have moved across the globe for tens of thousands of years. Harmony Week reminds us to appreciate our diverse cultures and celebrate language and country from all corners of the world. What better way to celebrate than to escape into this beautiful book, rich with photographs and illustrations that trace our every movement.

Plus, check out our Australian Immigration Stories article for more great reads.

Or find more great reads here!