From Harar to Melbourne
Sitra Abdosh
As a minority group, the presence of a secure community provides something to fall back on and relate to amid our daily lives. A place tying multiple people together sharing the same sense of identity, values and religion. This use of our community heavily coincides with that in Ethiopia, mainly Harar.
Such strongly tied communities are present in Ethiopia with the purpose of bringing people together along with preserving their culture. The role of these communities have many similarities with those present here, such as education purposes regarding religion, culture and history, as well as social connections. Such communities often assist one another when organising special events during the year such as weddings and funerals. They are seen organising charities in order to support the poor, with many among them being orphans, the sick and the elderly.
The undeniably significant role that elders play in these communities is also something that we can relate to here. As well as teaching the religion, they are tasked with ensuring the preservation of the culture and customs. Among these include the manufacture of cultural clothing, food, traditional basketry and chantings for the many different occasions. The coming generations and the youth in these communities are taught the knowledge and traditions from the elders as they are expected to take on these positions. They also play a large part in organising events in these communities.
We can see many parallels with the communities in Harar and our very own, although we each take to preserving them in our own way. Apart from the Harari people, our own community is home to people from a diverse range of ethnic groups. Sharing the same values as well as religion largely added to this multiculturalism facilitating its growth. Our community can be a place to provide solace from the constant buzz of our daily lives. Therefore, keeping our community alive and furthering our reach is an evident expectation of us all in the years to come.
