Overview:

A wave of music, performances and culture swept throughout The Sound of Terra 2025 Australian Mosaic Festival, showcasing a selection of energetic performances, celebrating diversity, harmony and collective strength among people at Casula Powerhouse on June 22. The event kicked off with the Australian National Anthem and featured a heartfelt message from Mr Salam Al Khudady, the President of the Sumer Association, delivered in Arabic but later translated to English.

Performances:

The first performance of the night showcased many cultures and traditions, including Chinese, Indian, Iraqi and Italian dress and clothing. The next performance was an elegant Sufi music performance that gave the crowd a relaxed atmosphere and featured two dancers who showcased emotional intensity and essence. Many people also received awards throughout the night, such as the CEO of Western Sydney Migrant Resource Centre, Ms. Maeve Brown.

A Spanish choir also featured singing multiple songs and energised the crowd with Spanish music and rhythm. The singers were mostly old men and women from all around South America, including Peru, Chile, Colombia, etc. Lead actor, Hasan Elkawam, introduced the trailer to the crowd for his upcoming film Fractured, directed by Mohammed Alanezi, pointing out that the film’s story is about a narcissistic relationship and finding resilience.

One of the most energetic performances included an electrifying and feminine performance from three Kawleeya dancers showcasing multiple performances consisting of hip movements, head rolls and hair flipping, boosting the crowd with energy. A visual play called a World on a Plate was the next performance. It featured comedic elements and used a stall as a prop along with kitchen utensils. The play consisted of a scenario where a food stall mixed up orders and told the story of being acceptable for other cuisines and foods. The night wrapped up with a collection of Arabic poems and songs performed along with the crowd clapping and singing.

Insights from Al Khudady and Rawna Alaskari

This year was the fifth edition of the festival running on the same date, with President Al Khudady inspired each year to run the event with a different theme each year. ” This year, we were inspired by UNESCO in relation to managing the heritage of the culture of people. Basically anything that is relevant to the culture of people, from foods to fashion to the way they dress up to songs and poetry and music,” Al Khudady emphasised.

Al Khudady said the festival has been growing with theatres always over full and some people sitting on the staircase. He said it’s due to the diversity of the festival and how well it’s organised. Rawna Alaskari, an actor in the play World on a Plate, said the play is about being more accepting and respectful of each other and respecting other cultures. Alaskari has performed each year at the Sound of Terra festival, including singing and acting, but only acted at this year’s festival.

Wrap Up:

The festival was a huge success, and many people felt a buzz of diversity, with guests treated to a selection of baklava, biscuits, tea and coffee before the festival swung into action. They also had an opportunity to engage in friendly, warm chats.