It is the spring of 2010, and I am walking down the busy streets of Cabramatta with my mum and brother, Mohamed, who just turned 4. The loud chattering of east-Asian language engulfs the atmosphere, shouts of “$1 for vegetables, only $1!” and the heavy smell of fish mixed fruit from the markets is the only scent that overtake your nostrils. Mohamed and I are cranky from being too hot, then too cold, then too bored. We kept touching things we were not supposed to touch, and by the time Mum drags us to the next fruit market-
“They’re mixed, aren’t they?” she says. “I can tell by his hair, and her eyes.” An older Vietnamese woman questions my mum.
Mum does not smile, mum always smiles. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she says.
Later, as we make our way to the car, all hell breaks loose.
“Children aren’t ice cream,” Mum says. She is chucking the bags of east-Asian ingredients she had just purchased. Mohamed and I shove the last of our Banh Mein into our mouths, sensing trouble. “You’re not some chocolate-vanilla swirl cone,” Mum says. “You’re human children.”
Mixed, I now understand, is an insult. Things are mixed, not people.
Since our very little ages, up until now. Me and my brothers (there’s 3) have always faced the question “What are you”, not seriously what am I? the cultural confliction between being the lovechild of a Lebanese male war refugee and a Vietnamese woman is something I’ve struggled with for years.
When “What are you?” does come up — via strangers at the shops, cafes and so on — I take a deep breath and dive in. “Well, my father is Lebanese and my mother’s Vietnamese” but of course, the response will always be “You don’t look Arab!”, and an awkward laugh with an eternal sigh would follow on my end.
Which bring us here, what do you do when your sense of identity is blurred, when the very essence of belonging and security is shattered. When delving even deeper the ethnicities that you carry are not accepted within your local community — even at that not even being accepted by your own ethnic groups?
Lets face the facts (information in this section is primarily derived from 2016 Census data as reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.)
Sydney is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Of the total population of Greater Sydney, 39.2% of people were born overseas. This is even higher in the City of Sydney, with 47.7% of people born overseas. Most travel to Western Sydney, and it increases to 53.8%. The most common languages in Sydney other than English are Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Greek. Cultural and linguistic diversity has always been a feature of the Aboriginal groups who have lived in the Sydney region for at least 70,000 years. In the over 230 years since colonization, cultural diversity has continued to be a feature of the Sydney population and has shaped the city and its suburbs. Sydney is also known as a city of villages, made up of many different neighbourhoods, each with their own character. Sydney’s neighbourhoods celebrate the city’s cultural diversity and rich immigrant histories. Many localities are excellent examples of ‘everyday multiculturalism’, places where you can experience the lived reality of cultural diversity in Australia. Some areas of the city have become associated with the cultures and nationalities that predominate there. Enjoying yum cha (dim sum) in Chinatown, eating gelato in Leichhardt or pho in Cabramatta is a must during any visit to Sydney.
Darker side of Sydney
Unfortunately, racism is still prevalent within Sydney suburbs. Let us investigate Canterbury. A survey was done to see the racist survey was done on the locals, here we can see that the highest ones that were discriminated were “Asians” and “Muslims”. The irony in this, is that I am a mixture of both. For me, I always faced the discrimination of both religion and ethnicity. This discrimination led to waves of identity crisis, which can serve as a determent to a youths mind (it definitely did mine). The survey asked an abundance of questions, to read more on this press the following link! https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/27085/CanterburyBankstownSSD.pdf
Multiculturalist Stigmas
So, the facts are clear, Australia; Sydney specifically, is one of the most culturally diverse and enriched cities, so the likelihood for the youth of Sydney to be biracial is quite high. Biracial or multicultural identity is something that is not discussed sufficiently. This is mainly due to the fact people are not informed on how to address the sensitive topic on cultural identity. For many biracial people we are used to the
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀“What are you?”
I am for certain that this question completely crumbles anyone’s value, let alone dehumanizes and objectifies as if WE lack a valid and worthy identity. People must also understand that there is a massive distinction between curiosity versus ignorance when questioning. Being ‘different’ does not provide a person a free pass to ask any cultural/identity-related question that comes to mind.
Though, this varies depending on the person and situation. For me, I welcome questions most time, but others may not. The topic of racial, cultural, and ethnic identity can be a sensitive one, but it is necessary we start to be well-educated on racial relations and identity issues as a person of an increasingly diverse world.
So, let us break the stigma!
Let us spark dialogue about multicultural identity to our peers, our parents, and our society. Challenge your enigmas- question your culture to learn from it; this has led me to finally vocalize confidently that I am proud to be multicultural and biracial, and you should be proud of your identity. Diverse cultural backgrounds are a gift, and though I may never wholly be a part of one culture, I get a taste of lifestyles that most people never do.
As a person who identifies as multicultural, I am a bridge for cultures to cross, continuing to attempt paving my way into the inner parts of Sydney.
Instead of identifying as “a mix” like ice-cream or “I am stuck between two cultures and communities, and I feel like I don’t belong in either”.
a new reframe of my multiculturalism has formed into gratitude for I have the option to move between differing cultures and communities and choose values and beliefs that serve me.
As should all multicultural and biracial individuals should, don’t fear and get devoured in an identity crisis, rather embrace this very uniqueness that — well makes you, you!
come on Sydney, we aren't ice-creams! Start getting educated and involved into the culturally diverse
check these out! :)