The Victorian African Community has honoured the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela at the inaugural Victorian African Community Awards (VACA) night that took place at Richmond town-hall on Saturday 7 December 2013.
Several community leaders and prominent members of the African Community in Melbourne came together and held a minute of silence and made statements for the occasion. A group of entertainers, including Lamine Sonko, the renown musician and griot from West Africa will also performed songs in honour of the departed anti-apartheid hero.
“The death of Nelson Mandela is a great loss not just for his family and his country, but for the whole of the human family. Mandela inspired the whole world through his commitment and dedication to fighting for justice and fairness against an oppressive regime” said Clyde S. Sharady, CEO of Africa Media Australia (AMA), the main organiser of VACA 2013.
The event was attended by approximately two hundred people who were celebrating the achievements and contributions of African migrants and refugees in Australia, as well as the contributions of other Australians to the welfare and advancement of Africans communities in Victoria and beyond.
