A beautiful coalescence of culture and music took place at the Yarra Valley ECOSS farm for its fourth Rhythm of the Worlds event on 18 October.
Like a colourful firework display against greens of the Yarra Valley, the festival played venue to the infectious rhythms of cultures from all over the world.
ECOSS community engagement, market and events coordinator Leanne Hall said the day couldn’t have gone better.
“It just felt so colourful and vibrant and everything just ran really smoothly… It was a perfect, sunny, not too hot day, and everyone was just so happy.
“It was really beautiful,” Ms Hall said.
Rhythms of the World saw Indigenous Australian, African, Colombian, Korean, and Chilean cultural groups showcase their vibrant musical compositions.
With funding from the Yarra Ranges Council, Upper Yarra Community Enterprise and the State Government, ECOSS were able to run the family friendly event free of charge.
The event kicked off after a Welcome to Country by Stacie Piper, a prominent Wurundjeri and Dja Dja Wurrung woman.
Children felt the groove of Country with the Ganga Giri First Nations workshop, and a local West African performer Kofi Kunkpe showcased the infectious rhythms of African drumming.
“That really got people up dancing and got the energy up, and the energy just kind of stayed up there for the whole day.”
The soulful vocals of Chilean musician Pia Nesvara mesmerised the audience and Korean woman Saritah performed a killer set alongside her band.
“We finished off the night with an incredible eight-piece Colombian band, La Descarga, which was just so amazing.
“Everyone was dancing and they were all just so into it,” she said.
Ms Hall said she was inspired to host the event by the musical cultures she encountered during her travels around the world.
“It was kind of a dream, a vision that I created about bringing different cultures together through rhythm.”
“It allows me to connect and tap into different cultures because it is a universal language, so it breaks down the language barrier,” she said.
The festival’s diversity created an inclusive environment, facilitating an atmosphere where everyone feels welcome to express themselves.
“I’ve had so many people [from different cultures] say to me that they feel very safe to come here.”
“We always seek to be inclusive,” she said.
Ms Hall said it couldn’t have been done without the countless hours of preparation from the team of volunteers.
“We do have such a wonderful community here and such a great team of volunteers and we could not do it without them.”
“It’s almost like our gift to the community,” she said.
