By Danielle Kutchel
Imagine you’ve been told you need to leave your home and everything you know behind to start a new life in another country on the other side of the world. You’ve got just a few minutes to pack your most treasured possessions. But what would you take, and what would you be forced to leave behind?
A live art exhibition at Bunjil Place sought to answer that question by letting visitors into the hearts and minds of people who have been displaced.
The exhibition was named Bukjeh, the Arabic word for the bundles of belongings that refugees carry with them, and ran from June 14 to 15.
It featured stories of migration, told by those who have been displaced through spoken word, music, songs, visual arts and language.
Among those sharing their stories were students from Hampton Park Secondary College who provided poetry, drama and artwork.
The organisers of Bukjeh ran poetry and art workshops at the school with interested students. The poems were recorded to be played during the exhibition. Some of the poems were in the students’ first language, like Tagalog or Dari.
A group of Islander students from the school also performed a song of their own writing.
The College has a high percentage of students from an immigrant or refugee background.
English teacher Geoff Shinkfield said the school encouraged students to take part and share their stories.
“We invited anyone who came from another country to be involved in it. There are a lot of good poets and a lot of good artists among these kids and I thought they did a great job.”
