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Rising hip hop stars Elsy Wameyo and Birdz headline New Beginnings Festival

Menchie Khairuddin January 17, 2023

2 min read

Triple j’s 2022 Unearthed Artist of the Year, Elsy Wameyo, will headline this year’s New Beginnings Festival on 28 January.

Alongside a lineup of artists from 10+ backgrounds, for one of Sydney’s most iconic celebrations of refugee, migrant and First Nations artists.

SSI’s New Beginnings Festival began in 2014 as a platform to use arts and culture to build bridges between refugee communities and wider Australia.

From its origins, the event has evolved to include a strong representation of both migrant and First Nations artists in recognition that true inclusion can only be achieved by acknowledging and celebrating diversity.

The Kenyan-born hip hop and R&B artist, Wameyo, will be joined by acclaimed First Nations rapper, Birdz, on the wharves of the Australian National Maritime Museum in the heart of Sydney.

“Community, culture, and belonging are all important themes in my music, and so it feels natural to take part in New Beginnings Festival,” said Birdz.

The celebration of multicultural creatives will be featured as one of Sydney Festival’s major events, an opportunity that will enable artists and stallholders to display their talents to an even wider audience.

“New Beginnings Festival embodies our diversity by showcasing an eclectic mix of music, dance, art, culture, and food from Australia’s leading culturally and linguistically diverse artists and entrepreneurs,” said Raphael Brasil, SSI Arts and Culture Producer.

Other New Beginnings Festival performers include:

Jazz singer/songwriter Athésia performing unique compositions in French, Creole, Portuguese and ‘Athésian’, her polyphonic self-invented artistic language.
Acclaimed Lebanese singer and musician Samira El-Koussa performing alongside highly regarded oud player and Assyrian singer George Karam.
Blend of film and dance from Blacklux, combining contemporary and traditional West African dance, choreographed by Lucky Lartey.
Explosive live show with Afro-Cuban and Colombian rhythms by Malo Malo Band
A mix of dance, body percussion and song from Suara Indonesia Dance Group.

Not only will the festival showcase multicultural talent, but also multicultural cuisine.

Guests can explore food stalls featuring cuisine from Peru, to Lebanon, to Sierra Leone, and market stalls with entrepreneurs from First Nations, refugee and migrant backgrounds selling their wares.

“We hope that New Beginnings Festival will ignite dialogue and further shared experiences, reflecting the inclusivity and diversity at the heart of our national story,” said Daryl Karp, Australian National Maritime Museum CEO and Director.

The free festival takes place on Gadigal Land at the wharves of the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour on Saturday, January 28 from 3-10 PM.

For more details and full lineup, visit the New Beginnings Festival website.

Menchie Khairuddin

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Menchie Khairuddin is a writer Deputy Content Manager at Akolade and content producer for Third Sector News. She is passionate about social affairs specifically in mixed, multicultural heritage and not-for-profit organisations.