Carnivale is by far my favourite annual community event in Wodonga.

I thoroughly enjoyed the energy and acrobatics of the Asanti Dance Theatre and their pulsating African drums.  The Verchovyna Ukrainian Dance Ensemble remined me of my Ukrainian cultural heritage; I’ve seen pictures of my mother wearing exactly the same traditional costume when she was younger.  Carlitos’ Way played some catchy latin tunes and provided the energy for my son to go crazy on his slushie-induced sugar high.  Richard Perso‘s folk rock grooves were captivating, as were the Romani gypsy sounds of Vardos.  And of course my son and I had a great time strolling down High Street and waving at the crowd during the street parade.

Wodonga City Council promotes Carnivale in a utilitarian way: “Carnivale aims to foster the creative capacity of the community, celebrate our identity and connect and contribute to the profile of Wodonga.”  The economic benefits of Carnivale are great for the town, but there are intangible benefits that are far more important.

Carnivale is humanising because it puts a positive human face on people from other countries, in contrast to the common charicatures of foreigners that predominate in the popular media and elsewhere.  This humanising function is especially important in a regional centre like Albury-Wodonga because of the often toxic mix of social conservatism, lack of exposure to other cultures and outright bigotry that often can be found in places like this.

Watching my three year old son dance up a storm on the dance floor with dozens of other kids and taking in the thoughtful artwork produced by school children from around Wodonga, one can’t help but be marvelled at the precious alternative cultural experience that Carnivale provides for kids and young people.  There’s nothing like the power of music to erase the superficial barriers of skin colour and ethnicity that too often divide people.

As the ‘Harmony’ theme of this year’s Carnivale alludes, members of the global family have so much more in common than we realise.  Events like Carnivale can help people to reach this realisation, especially when their opportunities for cross-cultural interaction are limited.

If we follow the theme of social cohesion further, one has to love the idea of shutting off High Street to cars and letting people take over.  Australian towns and cities have become car-centric, at the expense of other inhabitants of the street scape.  I’m always struck by the vibrant atmosphere that exists in towns and cities overseas where cars do not dominate the streets, where street life is enhanced by buskers, street vendors, outdoor cafes and entertainment.  These urban landscapes are much safer because there are more people walking around, paying close attention to everything around them.  For one night at least, we get that intoxicating atmosphere in Wodonga.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to Wodonga City Council, the sponsors and everyone involved in organising Wodonga Carnivale, as well as the wonderful performers who put on a great show.  I also want to give a big round of applause to the people of Wodonga and Albury who attended Carnivale and helped to provide the dynamic atmosphere that makes the event so great.

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Dr. Benjamin Habib is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at La Trobe University, Albury-Wodonga.