The Link (posted with permission of Ranjan Abayasekara It is a strange gathering. I look at the people seated around the room. The groups of people I see around me are obviously enjoying quite a strong bond with one another. I see them greet each other the way one greets a returning loved one at the airport. A lot is said, and a lot more is left unspoken. The joy of spending time together is evident. One lot of folk are from 'outside', they are visiting the other lot, who are 'inside'.
We all may have seen groups like this in other places. In most instances it has been easy to work out the link they have with one another. It could be their sports club's big night. Or, as is most obvious with followers of a sports team clad in their colours, it is their team's performance, which binds them all together. Or it is a religious group caught up in a celebration. Or a family clan celebrating a happy event. I am trying to work out in my mind what is it that unites these people so closely. Looking through the glass partition, an outsider would be hard pressed to see what could possibly be the link that is binding them one to another. In appearance it is quite apparent that they are not from the same country. The colour of their skins reveal they are from different lands. Their speech and accents are also quite varied. The dress of the ladies also hasn't much in common. Their faces show animation. I see deep emotion expressed sometimes. What is that lady saying to her friend with an expression of intense gratitude? I edge closer. I realise they do not even share a common language. The English spoken between them is almost unintelligible at times, if only deciphered with the 'head'. I realise that they are communicating not so much with their heads, but with their hearts. That is why they can communicate so well with one another. It is quite extraordinary. I see a young lad, very tall and good looking. He seems to be smiling all the time. His sister is seated by him. Two girls and a lady are talking to them. They have brought food, and laid it out on the table. The girls are in their school uniform - they are from a Private Catholic High School in a town located 100 kilometers away. The boy and his sister are from Iran. The schoolgirls are Australian. They are having a great time together. At a table I see a visiting lady who is taking out a card pack. They have just finished eating cake and drinking coffee, and have cleared the table top. It is an old card game - Lexicon! Cards in the form of English letters are dealt out to all taking part. There is an Afghan couple and a Vietnamese couple looking quite excited at their participation. Their English is not too good, but they make three letter words; sometimes a bigger word. Others around the table give their comments and help. There is some laughter and banter at funny or mis-spelt words. At another table there is an Australian lady with her 3 grown up daughters - one is just out of her teenage years. They are sitting in a largish group of about 10 people, all from Afghanistan. Some knitted gifts made by the Afghan ladies are being given out. It is quite beautiful - not only the handcrafted work, but the emotion on the face of the recipients. The Australian lady is discussing with one of the men about the kites he makes from scrap materials, for the children inside. She promises to get him some proper materials. A daughter is setting up a game of Ludo with three of the ladies. I see an Australian lady. She is waiting for a young family to come in. She tells me that she has something for her 5 year old grand-daughter. It is puzzling, as I see no young Aussie girls in the room. The Iranian family soon arrive, and their five year old's eyes light up. She dashes oblivious of everyone else, into the open arms of her waiting 'grandma'. A lump comes to my throat as I realise the strength of the bond between this 'alien' child and her Aussie grandma. They hold each other in a tight hug, as I move away. I wander outside into the yard. An Australian couple are talking earnestly with a young couple carrying a baby. The man asks if he could carry the baby. She is only a few weeks old, and firmly clasps a tiny hand around his little finger. This couple drive 400 km from Adelaide, each weekend to visit this young Iranian family. There is a deep attachment between them all. How is this possible? They are from different continents, and did not know each other until ten months ago! There is a bearded Aussie seated on a bench. He is talking to three men. In his hand he has a small atlas of the world. He asks them to show the places they come from. One says he is from the centre of Afghanistan, the homeland of the Hazara people, and marks the region. An Iranian says he is from the area where the Mandean communities live and shows the location on a map of Iran. The third says he is from a village far from Kabul. There are no proper roads, no telephones, no hospitals at his small village. It's name will not be on his country's map. He vaguely points at the map of Afghanistan with a sad look in his eyes, as he recalls the murder of his parents..... At the blue metallic garden table, a Catholic sister is in deep conversation with a bearded man. They are discussing the common ancestor of Jews, Muslims and Christians - Abraham! It turns out that Abraham is an Iraqi - probably a truth unknown to many folk who cheered the recent bombing and destruction of that cradle of civilization. At another bench, there are two pretty medical students from Adelaide. One is wearing a multi-coloured beanie on her head. They are talking and sharing coffee with a group of three men. The men are Iraqis - from Baghdad, Najaaf & Irbil. Could they & the girls have anything in common even in normal times; but surely not at a time like this? When Australia has sent its sons and daughters to kill or be killed in Iraq thousands of miles away! There is laughter and mirth, deep serious conversation, many questions, many answers shared. Quite amazing. My puzzlement is further deepened. It is obvious that it is not nationality, or language, or culture that is linking these disparate individuals together. They could not be more far apart, especially at a time like this. The US leadership had propounded the doctrine, that Australian leaders have eagerly accepted, that those nations who are 'different' are acceptable targets, and must be picked on to wage 'a just war'. It is a call to all individuals to step backwards to a safe and simple fallback position. "Cling to your nationality and kith and kin. Anyone outside that circle is fair game. Do not have anything to do with 'the other'. This is the way all of 'us', will be safe, and 'relaxed & comfortable.' " In the light of this doctrine, what then is going on in this place? Surely I must be dreaming? Or have I died, and gone to heaven? There could be another explanation. Maybe they are all professionals, or qualified in a specialised field. Could a particular sport or scientific or humanities interest link them all together like this? I inquire. One of the men says that he was a shepherd in the Afghan hills. The other says he was printer in Baghdad. One says he was a businessman in Srilanka. Another a medical doctor in Kabul. The ladies say they were mostly housewives. One is a qualified pharmacist. One is a good cook and talks of running a restaurant in Australia someday. They obviously do not have any common link. What about the Aussies gathered here? A lady says she is a retired school headmistress. One is a lecturer at the University. A man is an Electrical Technical Officer, another an Engineer. One lady is an Anglican, another does not profess a religious faith. One is a City Councillor. Some of them are retired folk. Others are young students. The grandma - she is just that - a full time loving mum & grandma. She has four children and ten grandchildren of her own, but still has room in her heart for these forgotten souls, to enfold them with a love that will not let them go. The Australian government successfully vilified the folk inside. The seeds of hatred, suspicion, ill-will, mistrust sown against these people for electoral gain, reaped a bountiful harvest at the polls two years ago. Many Australians have blindly followed the government's lead. However, many others appear not to have done so. On some days you meet people from far off capital cities - Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth - all come to this place located two thousand or more kilometers away. During school holidays they bring their kids along too - to experience an alternative Australia. An Australia that could be - if only our vision was not clouded by paranoia & prejudice, and the divisions of nationality, communal grouping, religious exclusiveness, social barriers, language & cultural differences. I see two boys, about four years old, one Australian and the other Iraqi, walk hand in hand towards the central kids play area together. They laughingly climb up the blue steps. Still with hands clasped, they slide down the yellow double slide. They emerge tumbling, with triumphant smiles at the bottom. These boys, and all the people gathered in Baxter Immigration Detention Facility's Visitor Centre are celebrating the one thing we all have in common, the only Link that really matters. It is our common humanity. Ranjan Abayasekara Whyalla, SA 5600 21st September 2003 Tolerance not only saves others from your prejudices and fears, but frees the soul to explore and accept the world that has been given to you. -Anon- ------------------------------------------------------ - You are subscribed to the mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put in the message body 'unsubscribe insights-l' (ell, not one (1)) See: http://nsw.uca.org.au/insights-l-information.htm ------------------------------------------------------
