Celebrating Harmony Week March 2023 - Everyone Belongs

Every year, we observe Harmony Week from March 20th to March 27th, bringing together communities to appreciate the rich cultures, languages, and arts of our society.

Representatives from different communities with Oliver wearing a shawl in the middle Credit: Oliver.jpg

Key Points

• Harmony Week and the Elimination of Racial Discremination
• Assyrian community is one of the largest in Fairfield
• The evening was a platform to share refugees stories

This year, we attended the Harmony Week Dinner, hosted in Fairfield on Monday night. We experienced inspiring stories from refugees, engaging Q&A sessions with professional panellists, and dynamic music and dance performances representing various cultures.

Discussion panel at Q&A time Credit: Oliver.jpg

Harmony Week also coincides with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, held on March 21st each year, which aims to eradicate racism and promote equality.

The Harmony Dinner brought together approximately 350 guests representing diverse community groups, organizations, and services, united in celebrating Fairfield's multiculturalism.

Participating representatives Credit: Oliver.jpg

Fairfield City is home to hundreds of communities and over 100 languages spoken among its population of approximately 105,000. The Assyrian community is the largest Assyrian population in Australia, with nearly 25,000 members.

Assyrian participation in Harmony Week

Mrs Ramziyah volunteers as the principal and is a teacher at St Zaia Assyrian Language School, which teaches the Assyrian language to young students every Friday evening.

Mrs Ramziyah Shaba, was a guest on the panel; she presented her answers on what harmony means to the school she volunteers at.

We were pleased to speak to Ramziyah and hear her response, which she also shared in English on the night.

You can watch the video 'Make a Stand against Racism' presented in Assyrian and delivered by Ryde City Council, available here: