Food could be the best cultural mediator in a multicultural society, according to two Southern Cross University academics.
Dr Lisa Milner and Ms Mandy Hughes, of the School of Arts and Social Sciences, believe that food could be the best way of bringing different communities together in their paper From Bananas to Biryani: The creation of Woolgoolga Curryfest as an expression of community, which was published in Locale: The Australasian-Pacific Journal of Regional Food Studies.
The academics made their findings by researching the success surrounding Curryfest, which is held in the mid north coast town of Woolgoolga, NSW, just north of Coffs Harbour.
"Woolgoolga is home to a significant Sikh population, the largest settlement in regional Australia," Dr Milner said.
"Early arrivals came to farm bananas and now own a significant proportion of the banana farms in the Coffs Harbour area. Early resistance to this group of newcomers included the banning of Sikhs from attending the local bowling club RSL.
"From that point in the 1970s, the local community has moved on to embrace Sikh culture and recognise the role of this significant group in strengthening and diversifying the township on both an economic and social level.
"Curryfest was conceived in 2006 as a means to distinguish Woolgoolga from other coastal towns and to promote curry as a point of difference to be embraced. The festival grows and evolves and continues to provide a point of intercultural encounter and exchange for locals and visitors."
Dr Milner and Ms Hughes say that more recent arrivals in the area, particularly immigrants from African nations, have added to the festival in making it a truly multicultural event.
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