The Mount Gambier Library in conjunction with the Mount Gambier Migrant Resource Centre will celebrate Refugee Week with a community morning tea and launch of the Finding Freedom exhibition next week.
The exhibition is a collection of short stories, poems and artwork from the local Congolese, Yazidi and Karenni migrant community.
City of Mount Gambier Community Development Coordinator Kristi Brooks said the personal encounters give an insight into life before and after arriving in Australia.
“Whilst the stories are short – many just a paragraph or two, the impact is profound,” she said.
“They describe a life of living in fear; the sounds of gunfire and having to go into hiding to survive, to the freedom that Australia provides with families thriving and healing.”
Mount Gambier Migrant Resource Centre Manager Amanda Lindh said those who found it hard to express in English their thoughts have created pieces of art, a visual expression of what life looked like then and now.
“In learning of the challenges our new community members face with learning a new language, understanding a new culture and leaving family behind, we hope the wider community can help with settlement by giving a generous smile, or starting a gentle conversation,” she said.
The morning tea and launch will be held on Monday (June 16) at 10am at the Mount Gambier Library.
The public are invited to the official opening with bookings taken for catering purposes at the Mount Gambier Library on (08) 8721 2540 or online at www.mountgambier.sa.gov.au/library under ‘Programs and Events’. The exhibition will be on display until June 22.
