For the Bangladeshi community in Brisbane, being involved in LUMINOUS is an opportunity to share their culture with the broader community. Their community had been part of Multicultural Australia’s MOSAIC Festival for many years – a multicultural celebration of the creative and culinary arts – but were not aware of LUMINOUS then.
“[At first], we were not quite sure what’s happening at LUMINOUS, to be honest. But then when we went there, and we found that it was such a wonderful event”, said Dr Jushi Das Gupta, a community advisor for the Bangladeshi community.
“So pretty much that relationship [evolved] and MA community [engagement] officers consulted with us and invited us to the event. That way we got to know Multicultural Australia more.”
The community has now been a part of the LUMINOUS since 2018, with over 100 members of the Bangladeshi community participating in the 2023 parade.
At MOSAIC and LUMINOUS, their community found safe and enabling spaces for members to express themselves and connect with other communities. But according to Dr Gupta, it is their determination to preserve their language and culture that leads them back to the parade every year.
