In the cultural melting pot that is Melbourne’s inner north, something invaluable is happening on Thursday nights.
A small gathering of new and old Australians are meeting at the Social Studio on Smith Street every week for an evening of wholesome food, music, friendship and cultural understanding.
The idea is simple: ten established Australians and ten immigrants coming together over a meal to nurture trust and respect across the diverse cultural groups in our community.
The idea was coined by artist and published author Kate Shelton, a nominee for Australian of the Year in 2011, after hearing Australian human rights lawyer and refugee advocate Julian Burnside in a speech last October saying we fear strangers.
“I thought how do you stop fearing strangers?” Kate says.
“You stop fearing strangers by having a meal with them.”
“There is a huge conflict and misunderstanding in our society. We fear boat people, we fear refugees, we fear Muslims but we don’t understand them. We don’t know them,” Kate says.
“My strength is talking to people in the community and getting people together”.
“You stop fearing strangers by having a meal with them.”
At the Peace Meal, the setting is sophisticated and contemporary. Just like the conversations and attitudes around the table. Sitting around a long wooden dining table, diners talk about caste systems in India, international terrorism and stereotypes, as well as exchanging stories about themselves and their families.
Everyone enjoys an entrée of polenta and mushrooms from the kitchen where Kate and her volunteer sous chefs’ giggling regularly reaches boiling point.
At the table Omar Pervaiz from Islamabad, Berlyn Shelton from Goa and Qambar Ali Akhteyari, a Hazara from the western Pakistani city Quetta, marvel at the fact that while their countries and regions are in conflict with one another they can come together for a civilized meal as friends.
“In our own countries we can’t get to meet people from neighboring countries. Because of political complications and unresolved conflicts it doesn’t happen very much,” says Omar who is a graphic designer and musician who immigrated to Australia from Pakistan in 2008.
“We just hear very manufactured opinions about people from neighboring countries. This direct contact is very good and it shows you what people are like on the other side.”
“You find they are pretty much the same. The same things are important for them as they are for you,” Omar says.
Kate says the dinners have been a success and that the guests have found Peace Meals to be an invigorating and dynamic experience.
“It’s invigorating because everyone is a stranger and everyone is experiencing something beyond their normal experiences.”
