Sudanese community leader Gatwech Kulang says young Sudanese have adopted Australian culture more so than that of their homeland.SUDANESE children class themselves as young Australians more than they do as refugees from the war-torn African nation, according to community leaders.
Sudanese Australian Organisations’ Network coordinator Gatwech Kulang said criticisms that Sudanese youths were perpetuating ‘tribal differences’ and other attitudes from Sudan were incorrect.
“These teenagers and children have adopted Australian culture,” Mr Kulang said. “They don’t worry about who is who. They have got friends who are Sudanese, or Australian, or anyone.
“In fact, we, the elders, have got a problem because the young people have adopted a new culture and are not interested in the Sudanese one.”
Mr Kulang said the Sudanese community had been offended by Keysborough South Ward councillor Peter Brown’s comments last week, which painted Sudanese people as troublemakers in Greater Dandenong.
Cr Brown had been referring to a brawl outside Springers Leisure Centre in which a man was stabbed.
The event inside the centre was an after-party for a Sudanese fashion show held in Dandenong that day.
“Not all Sudanese are acting the way he mentioned,” Mr Kulang said.
“A few, like other Australians, act that way, but if someone misbehaves you must understand it is not all of the Sudanese community misbehaving.
“Maybe in the future Cr Brown might try to think of a different strategy than to attack the whole Sudanese community.”
