Peace, harmony - and an equal footing.

The post below, together with the two posts further below it, forms a triad.

1. The post of 19 May 2018, emphasized the common elements people from different cultures share.
2. The post of 20 May 2018, emphasized the Jewish/Christian feast of Pentecost which has ever been a festival of multiculturalism before the latter term had been invented.  
3. To-day, 21 May, 2018, the emphasis is on the nations of the Pacific Ocean.

In spite of the many avenues of humanity to come together to live in peace and harmony, we are still not making a success of the ventures available to us: governments, religions, political organisations, civil institutions.  We seem to last for so long or go so far geographically and then we explode and fracture into divisions, wars, and bondage.  

One way or another, forms of bondage and slavery and oppression exist across the world - even in places where one would consider they no longer existed or had no need to exist.  

In Australia, most forms of payment for work are regulated by industrial awards and agreements.  However, many industries are notorious for trying to avoid regulated payments to their employees. The very meaning of the term "employee" is frequently dodged so that such people hide under the term "contractor".  

This can often mean that the so-called contractor unwittingfly foregoes legal entitlements such as sick leave, holiday entitlements, workers compensation for workplace injuries, holiday pay and long service leave.  And, of course, the employer (well, that term is avoided of course) - does its level best to displace anything that can be used to define an employer/employee relationship - does not approve of trade union membership

Ballarat Interfaith Network : Ballarat Council : World Interfaith Harmony Week Event

Harmony Fest is on its way and, among all the marvellous events, it is bringing to #Ballarat the exquisite Kavisha Mazzella

Harmony Fest is coming once again to #Ballarat.

Go to the link above for ALL the details

of the wonderful 2016 program.

And the wonderful Kavisha Mazzella will be there.

And just in case you were not aware,

Kavisha is among that wonderful group of songstresses

of Grandmothers Against the Detention of Refugee Children Melbourne Ports

who came up with the Billy Lids song 

which can be heard here  and seen here. 

" Kavisha has a fantastic dynamic range with great colour and sweetness and she is not afraid to use it . I particularly love the vocalising she does throughout the singing of her songs . It brings a wild earthiness to the music which roots it firmly in the tradition . And tradition she has in plenty . She is obviously proud of her australian immigrant heritage and uses the italian and irish of this to great effect in her powerful songwriting... Her haunting unique version of " she moves through the fair ", is enough to make your hair stand on the back of your head..." Tony Caniffe , presenter of "The Raw Bar " R.T.E. Cork Radio.Ireland

"Kavisha's new album of centuries-old Italian folk songs is a beautiful thing to hear - 

a great vehicle for these songs of the heart that have stood the test of time. 

She plays guitar, mandolin and accordion

and the spare production lets her voice naturally shine." 

Lucky Oceans ,ABC  Radio National Weekly Planet.

“Riturnella is a beautiful collection of Italian folk songs from the 1400s onwards. These songs of love and loss from all over Italy are rendered starkly and exquisitely with Kavisha accompanying herself with some very fine guitar and mandolin work.” Paul Barr, Readings Books and Music Magazine

"Con Riturnella, Kavisha ha realizzato un omaggio alle sue tradizionali radici con un’opera sensuale e risolutiva,  sulle cui fondamenta ha sviluppato la sua personalità di cantante, scrittrice e musicista."Pino Lamberti , Il Globo.

World Interfaith Harmony Week : Human existence, Religions, and the Digital World --- Professor Peter Horsfield

BALLARAT INTERFAITH NETWORK + BALLARAT CITY COUNCIL CELEBRATE WORLD INTERFAITH HARMONY WEEK - THURSDAY 4 FEBRUARY 2016

Australia's beauty lies in the harmony & diversity within our society. Let's support and maintain this.

THESE ARE THE HEADLINES REGARDING 

WHAT HAPPENED IN MELBOURNE

ON SATURDAY 18 JULY 2015 

AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE.

Who was the centre of attention in front of and near Victoria's Parliament House yesterday?  Reclaim Australia and their associates wanted to provide a double focus of attention: themselves and Muslims living in Australia.

No Room for Racism and its sympathisers were equally determined on a dual focus: to counter the racism of Reclaim Australia and its cohort and to make the public aware of their organisation.

Did the events of the day go as planned for both sides?  Possibly. Possibly not.  However, it seems that there were elements on both sides who were prepared for trouble one way or another.  

A group with a similar title to Reclaim Australia hit Ballarat early in 2014.  Restore Australia arrived in Ballarat trying to incite antagonism to the building of a mosque in the city - a city which was the site of Australia's first document demanding democratic rights.  As can be seen from this Facebook presence, drumming up opposition to the mosque being built by Ballarat's small Islamic community was not too successful.  

What Restore Australia did not take into account in the Ballarat situation is that community friendships had already been forged within the broader community by the time they blew into town.  The local Islamic community had friends - a broad spectrum of friends.  And the then Mayor was an early responder.

Meanwhile, amid all this swirling of clashing tensions and violent police intervention, what were Muslims doing? Yesterday was the beginning of Eid celebrations. Muslims were enjoying themselves. Behind them was a month of fasting. Now can come the feasting.  Perhaps Reclaim Australia chose the day and date deliberately with an intent to insult Muslims - or perhaps they knew there would not be a Muslim in sight or hearing of their rampage!

The Faith Communities Council of Victoria has issued the following statement.

Statement on Nationwide Rallies:  Faith Communities Council of Victoria The Faith Communities Council of Victoria (FCCV) has issued the following statement in light of reports that over the weekend of the 18/19th July 2015, Reclaim Australia is planning nationwide rallies which we believe are divisive and not in the nation’s best interests.  The acceptance of our multicultural and multifaith society is one of Australia's greatest achievements and assets. The celebration of this rich diversity that exists in our society ensures we remain innovative, resilient and globally competitive - all of which enhances our society and increases our standard of living. Like any asset, our multicultural and multifaith identity needs to be continuously nourished and threats to undermine it need be addressed. The current environment fueled by economic uncertainty and fear is encouraging the rise of extreme groups like Reclaim Australia and UPF (United Patriots Front), who are intent on disenfranchising minorities and disturbing the peace within our society. These groups demonstrate they possess anti-Muslim, anti-Asian, anti-Indigenous, anti-Semitic and anti-Refugee sentiments. We, the Faith Communities Council of Victoria, actively discourage any kind of involvement with these groups and see them as a threat to peace and social cohesion within our society.  We believe there has to be a continuous dialogue promoting multiculturalism and multifaith. We also encourage all to discourage others from supporting these groups in any way. The harmony and diversity in our society is the basis of the beauty of Australia, and we request your support in maintaining this. Faith Communities Council of Victoria is comprised of the following peak bodies: Baha'i Community of Victoria, Brahma Kumaris Australia, Buddhist Council of Victoria, Hindu Community Council of Victoria, Islamic Council of Victoria, Jewish Community Council of Victoria, Sikh Interfaith Council of Victoria and Victorian Council of Churches.