Dialogue Diaspora
Participants of the Sri Lankan Dialogue.
Participants discuss contents of joint statement.
The Dialogue Diaspora program aims to explore the prospects for dialogue between the various diaspora communities resident in Australia affected by conflicts in their original homelands. Projects involving the Sri Lankan, Cypriot, and Jewish and Arab communities are currently underway.
The objective is to assist participants to share their understanding of the present difficult situation about which they feel so strongly, and to reflect with care and respect on the perceptions and concerns of others. The aim is to move from counterproductive polarising statements to thoughtful dialogue. Through this dialogue it is hoped that greater understanding and collaboration within the diaspora communities that reside in Australia can be fostered and constructive ideas for future peace and justice throughout their original homelands can be debated and developed.
The Dialogue Diaspora program encourages openness and communication through a series of dialogue sessions. Each session engages a group of 30-40 participants involving a representative cross section of positions, cultures, religions and socio-economic backgrounds.
The Dialogue Diaspora project has successfully concluded the final session of the Sri Lanka Community Dialogue: a series of six intensive dialogue sessions undertaken between members of the Australian Sri Lankan community. In a process spanning 12 months, participants discussed relations between Sri Lankan communities in Australia, with a focus on Sinhalese and Tamil relations. The ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka, which impacts so strongly on the diaspora community, was also the subject of sustained and often tense discussion.
Participants at the final Sri Lankan Dialogue unanimously agreed to issue a joint public statement (PDF 28KB) calling for peace in Sri Lanka and active cooperation in Australia.
The dialogue group, composed of Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher participants concluded with a number of constructive outcomes, including a joint statement calling for ongoing dialogue to achieve harmonious community relations in Australia and for all parties in Sri Lanka to foster a society that nurtures a culture of peace based on mutual respect, mutual understanding and cooperation.
The Centre for Dialogue has recently begun a series of series of dialogues involving Middle-East Communities, which will be held throughout 2009.
- Project Coordinators
- Michális Michael
- Aran Martin
- Supporting Organisations:
- William Buckland Foundation
- Duration
- 2006-2009