personal stories as well as stories of people who are working to create a more connected and compassionate community such as Asylum Seeker Resource Centre founder, Kon Karapanagiotidis.
experiences with a crowd of strangers united by the power of food. This was a unique way to bring people together who might otherwise never have met or had the opportunity to share experiences.
At one point in the evening the guests participated in a live cross to Damascus to hear from Watad Educational and Musical Group, an organisation enriching the lives of Syrian children. The theme of support, and giving and receiving, ran through the evening with a portion of the dinner profits directed to helping refugees in the community through the Refugee Association of Logan.
Not only was the evening about story-telling but it was a celebration of sorts. Once guests had been transported to Damascus through taste, and connected to other cultures and experiences through story-telling, they were treated to a beautiful display of belly-dancing by the Sheherazade Gold Coast Belly-dancing Academy (with many guests taking the opportunity to jump up and participate).
Jovana’s PhD analyses the impact of securitisation on access to asylum in the European Union, and she believes that the idea for Dinner in Damascus was inspired by her time conducting research for her thesis on the Greek island of Lesvos.
Jovana believes the evening was an incredible success with the highlights too many to list. She does make particular note however of the incredible experience of pulling together and working with such a diverse range of people – the restaurant owners, the chefs, the story tellers, the Belly-dance Academy, and Howling Eagle Productions (who recorded the event) – to deliver a unique community event based on culinary connection.
‘While on Lesvos, I came across a number of local restaurant owners that were actively involved in working with people seeking asylum on the island. One particular restaurant run by Nikos and Katerina, has been providing free food, work, and a safe place for refugees on the island for a number of years. The humbleness of the owners left a great impact on me’.
With luck and planning, Jovana hopes that Dinner Damascus will be the first of many events of its kind.
Dinner in Damascus in turn had a great impact on the guests, who sat rapt by the speakers, many of whom bravely shared quite personal
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