Play the music and people will come

Under the heartfelt sharing of Uncle Paul Chapman, an Acknowledgement was shared with respect to the Yorta Yorta People on whose Country we were gathered as we prepared to celebrate Zinda. The name Zinda means to be alive in many languages, including Dari, Bengali, Farsi, Hindi, Hazaraghi and Urdu, and our festival is everything that being alive can be!

The deeply soulful sounds of the didgeridoo began to awakening the attention of the crowd as the participants of Uncle Paul’s didge class, which saw a dozen men from as many cultures exploring this ancient instrument, albeit in contemporary plastic pipe form.

This was followed by the beautiful voices and rhythm of the Anointed Band from Shepparton, a West African Gospel ensemble whose songs of spirit uplifted the voices in the crowd of fellow worshippers. With ease and grace, their voices and instruments connected everyone in the hall with a sense of peace and love. The peace and love then took a more upbeat turn when the stage became a group workout of dance, music and laughter.

As the crowd grew hungry, a feast was prepared and shared, featuring a range of delicious healthy tastings from the Sri Lankan and Filipino communities. We thank Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit for the opportunity to bring these tastes to Zinda Echuca.

With bellies full and spirits high, Zinda then erupted into a colour maze of movement and song, as the Traditional Dance of the Philippines graced the stage. Three dances were presented, being the Philippine Jota, adapted from a Spanish folk dance, the ceremonial worship dance Subli-Subli performed in homage to the holy cross and Tinikling. Tinikling originated prior to Spanish colonialism and involves the beating, tapping, and sliding of bamboo poles with one or more dancers stepping over between the poles. What a vibrant showcase of culture and colour.

Then followed with a sense of purpose, two readings by Afghan Hazara woman, Laila Hashimi. Laila read an Acknowledgement of Country in Hazaragi followed by her spoken word in Dari. This meaningful poem from Laila speaks from the heart and to the hearts and minds of all women from her culture.

Suddenly, the room was perforated by another burst of colour and movement when the most exquisite performers made their way to the stage. Two rows were set of kids as young as four years to eight years of age, and the Sri Lankan Youth Ensemble burst into movement and expression to the eclectic cultural sounds that brought the show to life. And this wasn’t the last we would see of this petite ensemble …

Because, to finish the afternoon with all their splendour, Zinda Echuca was graced with the voluptuous and bombastic presence of instruments, costumes, colour and flare of Mugi Rahayu and their Indonesian Gamelan Ensemble. In addition to their exquisite Javanese gamelan melodies and dance, Mugi Rahayu entertained the crowd with their character performance play and story-telling, which didn’t only thrill the crowd, it enticed the young Sri Lankan performers to take a seat at the towering instruments where Zinda Echuca were to witness the beautiful and enriching nature that is cultural infusion. This is what Zinda is all about.

Zinda Echuca was supported by the Victorian Government and Loddon Campaspe Public Health Unit and partners Campaspe Shire Council, St Mary’s Parish Echuca and Two Tribes. Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services is proud to have brought Zinda to these communities and looks forward to growing our engagement, partnership opportunities and connections with multicultural communities in the region and with the services and allies that support them.