Tito Kwajakwan, left, and Benson Aba, far left, were among 180 participants in the African Basketball Tournament at Dandenong Stadium on Tuesday.
By Paul Pickering
THE bouncing beat of ball on hardcourt assumed a tribal rhythm at Dandenong Basketball Stadium this week as Melbourne’s African community gathered to trade stories and jumpshots at the inaugural African Basketball Tournament.
Tuesday’s event – the first of its kind in Victoria – brought together 180 competitors from predominantly Sudanese communities of Dandenong, Noble Park, Springvale, Reservoir, Fitzroy and Sunshine.
As Dandenong Basketball Association project coordinator Kylie Galea explained, the groundbreaking tournament blossomed out of a humble council-funded program at Noble Park Community Centre.
The Noble Park Basketball Program began last year as a means of uniting youths aged 10 to 25 who were experiencing the common difficulties of cultural assimilation.
Galea said the concept was based on linking recreational sports with personal development.
The program soon outgrew the single-court facility and found a new home and fresh funding at Dandenong Basketball Stadium.
Building on the cultural ties of Sudanese-born youth councillor Matter Macher, the project snowballed into a city-wide event.
“(The tournament) started as a small event for 60 kids, and we said go out and ask your friends from school,” Galea said.
“I was amazed with how the word of mouth generated such a massive response.
“A lot of the kids have all come from Sudan together, and with Matter’s links Dandenong has become a real network area for these communities.”
Despite being slightly overwhelmed – and overworked – by the response to the tournament, Galea is hoping it will become a regular event.
“We think this could be the building block for a tournament every year,” she said. “It’s about bringing the community together and reminding people that there’s no barriers in culture when it comes to sport.”
