Cultural Liaison News

Chin Cultural Celebration Day 2024

Hi MECS Community! My name is Afia Thang and I am in Year 12 this year. I hold the position of the MECS Cultural Leader in the Student Leadership Team.

On Thursday 16 May we had the wonderful opportunity of holding a Chin Cultural Celebration Day in the Secondary School. It was a great privilege to be able to lead it alongside the Cultural Liaison team - Mrs Bradbury, Miss Jenny and Miss Lily. We all worked together to organise this event, in the hope of raising awareness for the war that’s happening in Myanmar and also to showcase our Chin culture and background.

I delivered a speech during the Senior Secondary Assembly. I briefly talked about Chin State and my family’s journey in coming to Australia. My family needed to flee Chin State due to the ongoing war and persecution of our people. We have a refugee background like all of our Chin families at MECS.

At lunch time, 14 of the Chin students in MECS Secondary performed a cultural dance for everyone to enjoy.  All the Chin students looked beautiful in their traditional clothing! Do you know our reel on the School Facebook page generated more than 13 thousand views? Our rehearsals definitely paid off way better than we expected!! 

There was also a 'Prayer Wall' for students to express their heartfelt wishes and hopes for peace in Myanmar. To support the cause, a sausage sizzle fundraiser was also organised. We raised $560! WOW. This will go towards those living in desperate conditions in the refugee camps on the Chin border to India. Thank you all so much for your support and bringing your $2 along. It was so heartwarming to see so many people get involved and their amazing support throughout the day, it was definitely an event that brought together a sense of community.

Many families like mine left Myanmar to escape the war and persecution. The Burmese military who are Buddhists wish to rule over every part of Myanmar and they are forcefully persecuting people who are different. The war is devastating. Many people internationally don’t know that the country of Myanmar has an ongoing war and residents have to flee for their lives and safety. It’s so sad and people are continuing to suffer. That suffering impacts all of us living here too because we still have relatives and close connections with people in Chin State. However throughout it all, we are so proud of our culture and the blessings that God has gifted upon our Chin communities. The support, prayers and love from the people around us has been invaluable. 

I believe that this cultural event was an experience to be grateful for. It was truly a gracious opportunity that we all enjoyed. I am so grateful for MECS and the way the school is helping our community to become strong and work with all of our Chin students and parents. Our Chin community needs a lot of help as we adjust to living in a western country and re-build  our lives. It’s a hard journey so we appreciate your support and patience with us in that process. 

Thank you so much to the Cultural Liaison team for all their effort, planning and dedication! Thank you also to Mrs Koole, Mrs Esselbrugge, the Wellbeing team and Mrs Dempsey, our Principal for supporting the day, encouraging us and helping to make it happen! Thank you to all the teachers and students who joined in and for making this event come to life. 

May God bless you all!

Afia Thang, Year 12

MECS Cultural Leader 2024