Bunbury Multicultural Group shares insightful migrant stories with new exhibition This One Thing

As the 2023 South West Multicultural Festival draws nearer, Bunbury Multicultural Group is hosting an insightful exhibition to get people talking about migrant experiences.

Ahead of the highly anticipated festival on February 18, the BMG has launched an exciting and emotional new exhibition at Bunbury Forum Shopping Centre to share insightful migrant stories with locals.

A series of 16 portraits, the This One Thing exhibition celebrates the stories and cultural identities of people from all across the world who have found a new home in the South West.

Each image features a person holding a single item that they could “never leave behind” when they departed their homelands, with audiences also able to listen to the stories told by each person while looking at the photos.

BMG chairperson Susanne Becker-Hamersley said was important to celebrate the “richness” of multiculturalism in Bunbury.

“In the Bunbury Geographe region, nearly 30 per cent of the population was born outside of Australia,” she said.

“There is so much to share, learn and benefit from each other.

“Our vision is to promote a community that welcomes cultural diversity and fosters a spirit of friendship and understanding between different cultural groups.

“I think that our society benefits from and is enriched by cultural diversity and we need to ensure that there is harmony and inclusion of everyone in our community.”

In addition to the exhibition, BMG will host a This is Me storytelling session at the Forum’s Dome cafe on February 2, from 8.30-9.30am.

During the one-hour session, patrons will hear from two of the exhibition participants, Christin Svard, from Norway, and Nyanyul Aguer, from South Sudan. The pair will share their stories and the importance of their chosen items.

Ms Becker-Hamersley said the casual, deeply personal session always left an impact on attendees.

“The events provide opportunities to mingle in a comfortable environment, make new contacts, share information and break down any barriers by reducing the ‘fear of the unknown’,” she said.

“We put a face to a cultural group, to humanise what we hear and read about, to dispel cultural myths and build knowledge, awareness and understanding but also create harmony and acceptance in our community.

“It’s also a reminder that, regardless of our differences, we can find more similarities than differences with each other.”

The exhibition will run until February 5.