Profile: Culture in Wollongong

Australia, and particularly Wollongong has a diverse amount of culture, but is also heavily influenced by other westernised nations such as America. Nevertheless, almost everyone has roots in a foreign country. It is when these people acknowledge and engage in their culture that others can benefit from it. Anjli Poole, daughter of an Indian mother and an Australian-born father, believes that failing to acknowledge one’s roots can lead to personal confusion.

Anjli is an example of someone who has experienced authentic culture in Wollongong. The immense number of cultural experiences to be found in local areas make engaging with her Indian heritage easier, particularly as she has recently strived to connect with her background in new and exciting ways.

Anjli says she was driven to explore her cultural background when deciding on a theme for her HSC Visual Arts Major Work. “I’d always wanted to explore my culture,” she says, explaining that she hadn’t often had the opportunity to do this outside of her home. A few ways she was able to connect with her culture prior to this was through restaurants in Wollongong, and even shops such as Tree of Life. Though she believes that it is “not really” culturally authentic and it’s “more hippy than Indian”, she says that products like ‘Henna’ used for semi-permanent tattoos helped her engage in her culture, and also assisted in the creation of her HSC major work. “Tree of life takes the aspects of Indian culture that it wants,” she says, agreeing that it is not a true representation of her background.

Cultural experiences, Anjli would agree, do not end with cultural dining. Wollongong also has opportunities to attend cultural festivals such as ‘Diwali’, also known as ‘The Festival of Lights’. It is through festivals such as this that she is allowed the opportunity to dress in cultural outfits and engage with other people in her situation, who have a cultural background but who have grown up in a western and often americanised society.

It is the westernisation of much of our culture in Australia and Wollongong which can often prohibit people with European or Asian backgrounds from fully engaging in their culture. When that is the norm in our society – McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Huts – we are constantly encouraged to immerse ourselves in that version of culture, rather than those we belong to. Anjli agrees, saying that “because I explored it I know more about my background and more about myself and my family’s history.” She believes it is important because she learnt about the “evolution of culture, how we perceive our own culture, what makes us Indian… the things that influence us.”

It is people like Anjli, who are able to break the ties of the dominant western and American culture in Wollongong and embrace their heritage who inspire others to do the same. “Lots of people don’t have this kind of cultural history,” Anjli says, but that doesn’t mean that people don’t enjoy engaging with culture.