The first thing that struck me when I set foot in Australia was the incredible number of Asian people living and working here, especially in suburbs such as Springvale, Glen Waverley, Dandenong, Richmond and Box Hill. This was, for me, slightly unexpected since I was completely unaware of Australia’s history before I arrived. Now that I have learned a bit more about it, it makes perfect sense. Even though the first immigrants to settle in Australia in 1788 were not Chinese but European, Chinese immigrants were the larger non British group during the Gold Rush in the 1850s. At that time, the "White Australia Policy" was not yet established but many of these immigrants were stopped and denied entry. Indeed, the idea of a "White Australia" was already taking shape in the minds of the European settlers. They were only favouring the immigration to Australia from places such as Britain. During WW-2, Chinese immigrants were finally allowed in to fight alongside Australians, and as soon as the "White Australia Policy" was removed in 1965, about 6000 immigrants from Asia were arriving each year. Later, Indochinese Refugees were also welcomed into Australia and with their new Australian citizenship, sponsored relatives to come to Australia.
I have to admit that this part of Australian culture was also a shock for me since, in France, Asian immigrants are not so numerous. We do have immigrants in France of course, but the majority of them are from Europe (45%) and from north Africa (Maghreb) (30%). In 2010, it was estimated that 11.1% of the total French population were immigrants. In Australia, this number jumps to 28% according to the 2011 census. French immigration policy has evidently become stricter over time to offset the large waves of immigrants which arrived during the last few decades. From a personal point of view, I think French people are less open to diversity and multiculturalism. They are maybe too proud of their own culture and own history. They actually expect immigrants to adapt to the French way of life, to adapt to their rules and their customs and not the other way around.
As a result of large migrant population, Melbourne is easily distinguishable from any other city in the world. However I have to admit that if someone had dropped me in Melbourne without me knowing, I would probably not have been able to guess I was in Australia. This might raise the question of national identity. Then again, maybe Melbourne’s identity lies in its multiculturalism. Multiculturalism in Melbourne transpires in the architecture (Chinatown) and in the proliferation of restaurants honouring cuisines from all over the world. Furthermore, it is very common to hear languages other than English while waiting to cross a street or while on the bus. This is Melbourne’s charm.
Large numbers of Italians are also well settled in Melbourne, especially in Carlton – Lygon street, also referred to as the 'Little Italy'.
Melbourne is a city where everyone can feel at ease and at home no matter where you come from. Communities are created with people from all over the world. It is all about sharing, giving and receiving.
A glimpse of Melbourne's ethnic diversity ... Enjoy!
Some more...
No comments:
Post a Comment