Hazara Afghans make up a large part of the ethnic population in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but many have been forced to leave as a result of recent conflicts. It is believed there are about 12,000 living in the Casey and Greater Dandenong area.
The exhibition is the work of Barat Ali Batoor, a photojournalist and award-winner who has been photographing the local Afghan community for several months.
Printing services have been used to create this new collection of images that depict Hazaras in their everyday life. Many of the people in the photos began their time in Australia working in low paid jobs such as in factories, but have now created businesses of their own.
Batoor explained how the exhibition highlighted some of the success stories among the Hazara community in Dandenong, and he hoped it would give people a greater insight into what refugees can bring to Australia. He said:
“All we get from the media and news is mounting propaganda about asylum seekers and refugees. We have thousands of asylum seekers on bridging visas with no work rights, but if given the opportunity they will also shine and contribute to the community.”
The exhibition can be seen at the Walker Street Gallery in Dandenong from Thursday, July 3rd to Saturday, July 26th.