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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-03-03 Daily Xml
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AFRICAN RECEPTION

Ms FOX (Bright) (14:33): Can the Premier tell members about the success of the reception he hosted for African communities on Saturday?

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:33): Thank you very much.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: I am pleased to receive a question from the new parliamentary secretary. On Saturday 28 February, I was honoured to be the first Premier of South Australia to host a reception for our state's vibrant and varied members of African communities who have chosen to call South Australia home. I know that a number of members opposite were invited, and I was pleased to see members of parliament from both sides of the house.

Guests attending the reception at the Adelaide Convention Centre represented Algeria, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Cote d'Ivoire.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: I know that the parliamentary secretary is fluent in French and that her middle name is Catienne, but my pronunciation is 'Cote d'Ivoire', or what used to be known as the Ivory Coast. They also represented Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In fact, I was able to tell people there that my parents were registered to emigrate to Zimbabwe back in 1962. I somehow feel that if we had made that decision I would not be a member of the Zimbabwe parliament.

Amidst a stunning array of national dress, drummers and dancers led the procession celebrating Africa's story of incredible diversity. Despite being home to the world's longest river, its largest hot deserts, sweeping savannas and impenetrable jungles, Africa has, regrettably, also been a place of plunder, external domination and meddling. It was carved up and dealt out in the conference rooms and statehouses of Europe. Mercifully, in the past 50 years, the world has increasingly born witness to Africa's true spirit and potential. Despite difficulties, setbacks and betrayals, many African nations and millions of individuals have undertaken their own often heroic 'long walk to freedom'.

The story of Australia is the story of migration, and there is no doubt that, after arriving, the first years can be difficult, particularly for refugees who have experienced great loss and separation from loved ones. I made the point to a number of people that, when you meet those from places like Rwanda and know the extraordinary things they have seen and the suffering they have experienced, their positive and joyous approach to life here is most heartening and inspiring. Like other migrants to South Australia, these people from Africa are making an investment in their children and in subsequent generations of their family.

The reception was hosted to assure the various communities from Africa that we honour, respect and welcome them to our state and that we are proud that they have come to live and raise their families amongst us. We understand that many of them have witnessed great suffering and experienced great pain and loss. While we cannot turn back the clock for them, we can be of help now and in the future.

There is no single homogeneous African community here in South Australia. The communities we celebrated on Saturday were made up of vastly different ethnicities, languages, cultures, histories, traditions and faiths, and this government is committed to working with all of them to ensure that their uniqueness and individuality are understood and appreciated by the wider community through our multicultural and social inclusion policies. I want to recognise that multiculturalism is embraced by all sides of the political spectrum here in South Australia—and long may that be the case.

Migrants and refugees who have come to South Australia hold lasting images of their country of birth, images that remind them of the wonderful things they have left behind to make a better life for themselves and their children in our state. Community members, working with Multicultural SA staff, developed banners to enshrine these images, and the banners led the procession into the Convention Centre, along with drummers and dancers.

As an example, the Tanzanian banner contained a photo of Julius Nyerere, the former liberation leader of that country, and the Kenyan banner featured Kip Keno, the great middle-distance runner. The Botswanan banner depicted both a zebra and a kangaroo, while the Ethiopian banner showed a lion and a koala. While these banners displayed images of things loved and left behind, they also reflected the communities' commitment to South Australia, and I thank them for their efforts.

I was delighted to read a message from the Most Reverend Desmond Tutu, Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town and Nobel Peace Prize winner, sending his warmest regards and a message of peace and love to everyone attending the reception. I take this opportunity to thank Simon Forrest and his team at Multicultural SA, Bev Smart, and my staff at the Protocol Unit for their outstanding work to ensure the great success of this celebration.

We are all defined as individuals and human beings by how much we give, rather than by how much we take, whatever the circumstances. Adversity is a time not to lash out but to reach out. I conclude with the words of Nelson Mandela:

Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud.

I thank all members who came along to celebrate with the African community.

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