By: Claire
Leilani Bin-Juda, Australian high commissioner, says the country’s relationship with Nigeria extends beyond trade and diplomacy to cultural exchange and shared values.
Speaking at the Australian High Commission’s NAIDOC week reception in Abuja on Thursday, Bin-Juda described culture as a source of strength for the future.
NAIDOC week is an annual celebration of the country’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their history, legacies, and achievements. This year marked its 50th anniversary.
The reception featured a documentary screening of ‘Gurrumul’, an acclaimed Australian documentary that explores the life of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, the late Indigenous Australian singer and songwriter.
Yunupingu, who was born blind, is celebrated as the most commercially successful First Nations artist with a best-selling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music album in Australian history.
Bin-Juda said the event was held to emphasise that diplomacy is more than transactions through governments and institutions but also through culture, conversations, and human relations.
Nigeria and Australia are very different countries in many respects, but we share an understanding of the importance of culture, community and identity,” the envoy said.
“Both our nations are enriched by remarkable diversity. Both are home to people whose traditions, languages, and histories, continue to shape national art.”
She added that Australia and Nigeria enjoy a warm and growing friendship built on mutual respect, people-to-people connections, trade and investment, and cooperation across many fields.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), said the documentary reminded her of similarities between Nigeria and Australia, which each have about 250 languages.
“Diversity is not a challenge to manage but a gift to celebrate,” she said, adding that nation building must include every citizen.
Dabiri-Erewa described Nigerian youth in the diaspora as bold and creative, adding that leaders must create an enabling environment for them to succeed.
The NiDCOM chairman called on leaders not to sideline culture in the pursuit of development, noting that it forms the foundation for future generations.
