BROKEN Hill will host a three-day Sufi Conference and concert this May, to be hosted by the local Sufi community.
The conference, which will take place between May 9 and 11, will bring together Sufis from around the world.
The last Sufi Conference to be held in Australia took place more than 20 years ago, and this event will be the first to take place outside of a metropolitan city.
Organised by the Almiraj Sufi and Islamic Study Centre, the event brings together music, art, poetry and deep listening in a celebration of cultural exchange, spiritual storytelling, and desert wisdom.
The Sufi Centre, on the corner of Bromide and Argent Street has long been a part of Broken Hill’s cultural fabric, with its heritage restorations, cameleer mural, and popular bakery and bookshop.
Head baker at Sufi Bakery and Imam of the Almiraj Sufi Centre, Dawud Goss, said the event will help to share the rich Sufi traditions with the wider community.
“It’s an opportunity for locals to experience Sufi culture in a way that’s never been seen before in Broken Hill,” he said.
“The conference will be about Sufism and introducing Sufi teaching to the wider community, as well as inviting people and Sufi students from all over Australia, and abroad, to attend.”
The conference will include a family friendly concert on Friday, May 9, at the Broken Hill Civic Centre. International Sufi band Fahan Shah and Sufi Oz will perform, alongside local Barkindji / Malyangapa musician Leroy Johnson.
Concert organiser, and Sufi student, Liisa Peisto said she hopes the concert will gather locals and newcomers alike.
“This town attracts some pretty unique collaborations and is a crossroads of sorts for many people arriving and departing for all types of reasons,” she said. “I think the Sufi Centre adds to that mix and highlights just how special this town is.
“Music has a special way of bringing people together, and this concert is a chance to share something meaningful with the whole community.
“Thanks to generous support from the NSW Governments Regional Arts Fund and the Broken Hill City Council, we’ve been able to keep ticket prices low, so that everyone can come along and be part of it.
“It’s also a way for the Sufi Centre to give back to the town and celebrate the shared spirit of this place.”
Peisto said the idea behind the concert is to celebrate the legacy of the Sufi cameleers and pay tribute to First Nations sovereignty.
“We’re especially excited that Leroy Johnson will be performing. Listening to First Nations voices is vital, to discover connections and understand each other, and this concert is one small way we can honour that,” she said.
Across the three days, the conference will include a Qawwali vocal workshop with local choir groups, talks about Sufism by visiting Sufi’s, art projections onto the Civic Centre windows, and poetry.
The conference will reflect on the legacy of the Afghan cameleers, the history of the Broken Hill Mosque, and the ongoing relationship between Sufi practices and the Australian desert.
For more information about the conference and to reserve your ticket, visit – https://suficonference.org.au/, and for tickets to the concert Wide Desert Listening go to Broken Hill Civic Centre website – https://www.brokenhill.nsw.gov.au/Community/Events-Calendar/
