Early December an academic delegation from the State Islamic University of Jakarta, Indonesia visited Affinity Intercultural Foundation. The group consisted of Prof. Dr. Suwito (Deputy Director of School of Postgraduate), Dr. Yusuf Rahman (Deputy Director of School of Postgraduate), Dr. Nurlena (Deputy Dean of Faculty of Tarbiya), Dr. Abdul Wahid Hasyim (Dean of Faculty of Adab and Humanitarian) & Dr. Ali Unsal (Director of Fethullah Gulen Chair).

Upon their visit to Affinity, they were pleasantly surprised to hear of the good work Affinity has done to date. In particular, the outreach within society through the iftar programs and the conferences was a notable aspect of Affinity’s work. Dr Hasyim mentioned that intercultural exchange in a country like Australia is a necessity considering its diversity. He added there’s a richness that could be obtained from information exchange and learning more about each other’s frame of reference.

Dr Nurlena also stated that Indonesia could learn a lot from the co-operation that Affinity has made with its partners and apply it to the local scene, irrespective of the organisation’s cultural diversity. Dr Suwito was most impressed with the youthful look of Affinity and how their members are predominantly volunteers.  He said it was good to tap into a young generation and find a value proposition for them to connect to and get them actively involved. Dr Yusuf mentioned how some of the hosting programs Affinity organises, in particular the hosting of Indonesian youths was a great way for people back home to be exposed to a more dynamic and vibrant society such as Sydney. He believes this experience will benefit each of them greatly upon their return to Indonesia immensely.

Overall Affinity has hosted 4 delegations from Indonesia this year and looks forward to continuing the dialogue with our nearest Muslim populated neighbour.

Late November, Affinity was fortunate enough to host a delegation from Japan. The delegation comprised the world renowned Prof. Sasaki Yoshiaki (Tokyo Foundation, Senior Researcher & Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Adviser, JP), Dr Masayuki Akutsu (University of Tokyo), Prof Idris Danismaz (Lecturer, Doshisha University – Kyoto) along with Mr Serkan Caglar (Horizon Japan International School) and Mr Mustafa Arslan (Baharu Education Corporation).

Their visit was unfortunately short but we managed to visit Prof Michael Lewis from the Dept of Japanese Studies, Sydney University who is an expert on Social and cultural history, nineteenth and twentieth century Japan. Discussions were based around Sydney University’s course program and the cultural exchange programs that are currently in place between Japanese and Australian education institutions. Prof Sasaki was pleasantly surprised at the maturity of the curriculum and subject areas.

During their visit to the Affinity Centre, Prof Sasaki valued the contribution of Affinity in generating social harmony within society and felt it was necessary for people of all walks of all life to have an open mind for information exchange. This would lead the way for people to respect, appreciate and learn from each other allowing us as individuals to take the leap further in our own personal development.