The Origins of Harmony Week
In 1960, South Africa was firmly segregated under Apartheid (a word meaning “apartness” in Afrikaans), with Black South Africans and other non-Caucasian racial groups being restricted from large parts of the country. So called “pass laws” worked as a kind of internal passport, heavily restricting the movement of anyone other than white South Africans. On March 21 of 1960, a group of around 7000 Black South Africans were protesting the pass laws in the township of Sharpeville.
Although some reports state that the protesters were throwing stones, many others say the protest was non-violent. When the protesters approached the Sharpeville police station, the police inside opened fire, killing 69 of the protesters and injuring a further 180. This tragic event became known as the Sharpeville Massacre and was the catalyst for what we now call Harmony Week.
Six years after the Sharpeville Massacre the United Nations declared, in condemnation of Apartheid and in honour of the protesters, that March 21st of every year would be the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This event has been celebrated by many nations, including Australia, ever since.
In 1999, the Australian government decided to extend the celebration to encompass the entire week surrounding the 21st of March. This new weeklong celebration of diversity and multiculturalism was called Harmony Week. Since its inception, Harmony Week has seen over 80,000 events celebrating the wide variety of cultures in Australia.
Celebrating Harmony Week at School
School is the perfect venue for celebrating Harmony Week thanks to the diverse and inclusive nature of student bodies. Fostering an environment where students from various cultural backgrounds come together to learn and grow is a concept close to the hearts of teachers across the nation. Within the school setting, Harmony Week offers a unique opportunity to showcase and celebrate the richness of cultural diversity present among students and staff.
The week offers students and faculty the opportunity to share their unique traditions, languages, and customs, promoting understanding and appreciation among peers. Through activities such as cultural performances, traditional food tastings, and interactive workshops, schools can create vibrant and immersive experiences that encourage dialogue, respect, and unity among students regardless of their cultural backgrounds.
Celebrating Harmony Week in schools aligns seamlessly with the Department of Education’s mission of promoting tolerance, respect, and intercultural understanding. By integrating Harmony Week activities into the curriculum, schools can provide students with valuable opportunities to learn about cultural diversity, social cohesion, and global citizenship.
Harmony Week experiences can not only enrich a student’s understanding of the world around them but also equip them with essential skills for navigating an increasingly interconnected and multicultural society.
13 Harmony Week Events for Schools
There are numerous ways schools can celebrate Harmony Week and advance cultural diversity and inclusion in the student body. Creating opportunities for students to engage with one another across cultural boundaries and cultivating a school environment that is inclusive should be a key goal for any event.
Cultural Performances
Performances showcasing traditional dances, music, and songs from different cultures represented in the school community can expose the school to diverse cultures in a fun and spectacular way. As an example, and depending on the backgrounds of students, a school could have a dance recital featuring traditional Kathak or Bhangra from India, Dabke from the Middle East, Barong or Kekak from Indonesia, Yangge from China, an Australian First Nations dance, and a Haka from New Zealand.
International Food Fair
Schools can host a food fair during which students and families can share and enjoy dishes from different countries. Families can bring in examples of their national cuisine to share, or, if a school has a policy of not allowing parent catering, they can cater an event with national dishes from different nations
Cultural Workshops
Schools can conduct workshops in which students can learn about different cultural practices, such as traditional crafts like calligraphy, origami, or batik, traditional cooking. Cultural workshops could also be combined with the International Food Fair by having students learn how to cook different traditional dishes and then sharing them with other classes or groups who have cooked different foods.
Language Exchange Sessions
Holding language exchange sessions where students can teach and learn basic phrases in languages spoken by their peers can really help to bond a group and instil an appreciation for different cultures. These sessions can also feature written language to illustrate how different cultures view the written word, including the difference between individual letters and complex characters, or reading direction, such as Arabic, Hebrew and Urdu reading right to left, or traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese being read vertically.
Traditional Attire Day
Schools can encourage students and staff to dress in traditional attire representing their cultural heritage. For example, students could come to school wearing colourful saris, hanboks, kimonos, kurtas, dashikis and the like, celebrating the diversity of clothing styles.
Storytelling Sessions
Community members, family and cultural groups can be invited to school to share folktales, myths, or personal stories from their cultural backgrounds. These stories can lead to discussion of differences and similarities between creation myths, or lessons about the real historical events that prompted personal stories.
Art Exhibitions
Students can be encouraged to paint, draw, sculpt or print artworks reflecting their cultural identity, depicting scenes or events from their culture or native country, or otherwise celebrating diversity. These artworks can then be displayed to the rest of the student body and parents.
Multicultural Sports Day
Schools can organise sporting event or friendly matches featuring games from diverse cultures around the world. Examples of sports that could be taught and enjoyed including:
- Kabaddi, a sport that originated in ancient India and is popular in South Asia. The sport is played between two teams of seven players. The objective of the game is for a player, known as the “raider,” to tag as many opponents as possible and return to their own half of the court without being tackled.
- Sepaktakraw, also known as kick volleyball or takraw, is a dynamic sport originating from Southeast Asia that is like volleyball but the three players on each side of the net can use any part of their bodies to return the ball other than their arms and hands.
- Palla, a traditional Tuscan game that is believed to be the forerunner of tennis and is like the style of handball played by students across the country.
Cultural Trivia Contests
You can host trivia competitions where students answer questions about world geography, history, and customs. For example, teams could compete in a quiz covering topics like world landmarks, traditional festivals, and famous historical figures from various cultures. To make sure all students can compete, study booklets can be given out a few days before the quiz, or the quiz could be entirely based around other Harmony Week events that the school had celebrated that week.
Diversity Discussions
Students can participate in a panel discussion exploring themes such as racial equality, multiculturalism, the importance of empathy and respect. cultural diversity, inclusion, and social justice. Teachers can use real world examples to kickstart discussion or use stories from culture and folklore to explore the ideas presented.
Community Service Projects
Schools can collaborate with community groups on projects that promote unity and support marginalised communities, both locally and globally. As an example of a global service project, students could help organise a fundraising campaign to provide school supplies to underprivileged children in refugee camps or remote villages.
Cultural Exchange Pen Pals
Schools can establish pen pal programs connecting students with peers from schools in different countries. Students can exchange letters, emails, or virtual messages with pen pals overseas, sharing insights into their daily lives, cultures, and traditions.
Multicultural Film Screenings
Schools can screen films or documentaries that celebrate diversity, promote cross-cultural understanding, and challenge stereotypes. For young students, films could include animated classics like My Neighbour Totoro, The Secret of Kells and Kirikou and the Sorceress. Older students could watch historical epics highlighting parts of history and culture that may be new to them.
After students watch the movie, teachers can discuss themes or events with students.
