Migrants showcasing culture to adopted communities in Tasmania
By Aneeta Bhole
Photo: Narbada left Nepal when aged 11 and says it is important for her to remember her culture. (ABC News: Aneeta Bhole)
Map: TAS
Multicultural performers and speakers are in high demand in Tasmania, so much so that a new website has been created to put them in touch with the community.
The Migrant Resource Centre has created Inspire Tasmania to fill a gap in the market.
The site showcases a range of migrant and refugee performers, each with their own story to tell.
The centre's Catherine Doran said the Inspire program aimed to support, celebrate and showcase the best of Tasmania's multicultural talent.
"We get a range of calls for multicultural performers and speakers and we thought it would be a good idea to promote that more in the community," she said.
"I've had people call up and ask about multicultural performers and I've had to dive deep into my contacts, this will hopefully make it easier for people to get in touch."
She said the program also gave Tasmanians the opportunity to learn more and experience things from different cultures.
"There are many aspects of our culture that we probably don't realise come from different countries."
Narbada's story
Narbada Thapa Nepalese says dance is more than just a hobby, it's a link to her culture.
The 18-year-old Hobart College student uses dance to connect to her heritage and remember the life she left behind.
"I was six when I started to dance. It's means a lot to me to represent my culture in my performance," she said.
Nepalese dance is a symbiosis of emotion, costume and traditional music, explained Narbada.
"You have to think about the costume and how it works with the music," she said.
"It's very expressive, so even if the audience doesn't understand the music they'll understand the story through my facial expressions."
Narbada was 11 when her parents left Nepal to find a new life in Australia.
But life hasn't always been easy for the Thapa family, who were asked to leave their home in Bhutan more than 25 years ago.
"My parents were told they have to follow Buddhism in Bhutan, but they wanted to remain Hindu so the government asked them to leave ... that's when they moved to Nepal," she said.
"I don't really remember Nepal because I was young when we left, but it's important for me to remember my culture and show it to others and Nepalese dancing helps me do that."
Ahmad's story
Photo: Ahmad Hassani's family fled Afghanistan to escape the rise of the Taliban. (ABC News: Aneeta Bhole)
For Ahmad Hassani, music has always been in his blood.
The 28-year-old said his father was the biggest influence in his music.
"I learnt a lot about music from my father, he's still a musician in Iran," he said.
Ahmad plays keyboard in the band Paywand and said he hoped to use his music to help people from his country forget about past conflict.
"I've been in a band here in Hobart for the last three or four years ... Paywand means connect," he said.
"The music is usually upbeat ... we've had a hard past so I wanted to bring happiness and dance to people using music."
Ahmad's family fled Afghanistan to Iran to escape the rise of the Taliban more than two decades ago.
He uses his music to show people his diverse heritage.
"I would like other people to see the music from Afghanistan and Iran, so other people can learn about my culture," he said.
Photo: Ahmad Hassani plays keyboards in the band Paywand. (ABC News: Aneeta Bhole)
Topics: human-interest, refugees, immigration, tas
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