Community leaders and voices have hailed Wagga’s multicultural excellence after residents came together for another installment of Fusion Festival on Saturday.
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“I love events like this and I believe Fusion is an integral part of Wagga,” said event MC and local spoken word poet Zohab Zee Khan.
“Having grown up in small towns across the Riverina, I know how important the arts are and Fusion is the space that bring our diverse cultures and faiths together.”
The fourth-generation Pakistani-Australian said that while many may have flocked for the food, dancing and revelry, people were truly drawn by the celebration of togetherness.
“We didn’t put on music to enjoy music or share food just to eat it - this was a festival about me getting to know my neighbour,” Khan said.
“Wagga is a place full of cultures and people came together on Saturday as a celebration of that fact.”
Wagga City deputy mayor Dallas Tout was at hand to open Fusion 17 yesterday and hailed yet another successful event.
“I just love it - Fusion is part of the fabric of our community,” Mr Tout said.
“We have so many diverse cultures and it’s magnificent to see the festival spread and take over the whole breadth of the city.”
Miss Wagga 2017 Sarah Navin was another to lavish praise upon Fusion 17.
“It’s not just the food but also the performances and traditional dress that really make up the difference in our community,” she said.
“Sharing that makes this (event) really special.”
Though Wagga may yet harbour dark corners that reject multiculturalism, Khan believes the city is doing something right.
“There’s going to be good and bad wherever you go but the way communities get along here is unparalleled,” Khan said.
“We’re really doing something right here.”
