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Anti Racism Action Band

By Carla Okai

 MELBOURNE - When Philip Pandongan first saw the Action Band Against Racism (A.R.A.B) perform at his school, he knew he wanted to be a part of it.

“I’d never really performed in front of an audience before and when they asked for some volunteers to get up on stage, I instantly fell in love with it. That day was a realisation for me, I got such a rush from being on stage,” he says.
Four years on, Philip is now a senior member of the group and, under his stage name Yung Philly, performs to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
A.R.A.B attracts hundreds of young people from across Melbourne’s northern region and offers them the chance to express themselves artistically, a chance they may not otherwise receive due to geographic or socio-economic disadvantage.
The group works with over 200 people aged 13 to 25 years and showcases a wide array of styles from contemporary and modern dance to rap and Arabic drumming.
With over 50 cultural backgrounds represented by the group, the message is clear – regardless of where you are from, music and dance are universal.
And Philip understands this message from personal experience. A first-generation Australian of Filipino heritage, he has seen the effects of racism and gang-culture and the positive influence groups like A.R.A.B can have.
“With A.R.A.B, it doesn’t matter where you’re from, you automatically have a connection with your fellow performers. You see kids who may not usually get along very well standing side by side because they share a passion for what they’re doing,” he says.
That passion has led the group to perform at over 200 events and locations since its inception in 2004, from the Annual Arab American Comedy Festival in Gotham Comedy Club in New York to the Malmsbury Juvenile Justice Detention Centre.
The group’s performances are based upon notions of race, culture and identity and Philip says it is important for young people to openly discuss these issues.
“To challenge racism, it’s so important to talk about it. That’s what we’re doing. And you can actually see the difference in the kids from when they first join the group to the way they carry themselves after they’ve been involved for a while. Their confidence builds and they interact with people they might usually ignore,” Philip says.
Marline Zaibak, Project Co-ordinator of A.R.A.B, has also seen the way in which the group builds the self-esteem of its members.
“It’s pretty amazing to see the developments that take place. At the end of each of our major shows we do an evaluation, and some of the performers write that they had no confidence before but now they do. In A.R.A.B we have a confidence circle, which is a safety zone where no-one can be made fun of. We also incorporate that circle into our show, so once the performers are in the confidence circle they can dance however they feel like dancing,” she said.
 Marline says that A.R.A.B is the only project of its kind in metropolitan Victoria, if not the country, that provides an on-going program for such a large number of young people. The project also refers its members to other community organisations for further support if needed.
“Our office acts like a bit of a drop-in centre sometimes and the kids know they can come in whenever they like and tell us their ideas. We treat the young people involved as our peers and we work alongside each other. I think that is what makes this project unique,” she says.
While emphasis is often given to sport as means of social inclusion, A.R.A.B demonstrates that the performing arts should not be underestimated in its power to bring young people together.
“The arts are an excellent tool for inclusion, well-being and ensuring that everyone has a voice. It’s a real challenge creating work about your own identity and it’s an important step in the development of not just young people but everyone,” Marline says.
Philip and his fellow A.R.A.B members understand the positive influence that each performance has on them.
“They made me believe in something,” Philip says. “Before I joined A.R.A.B, my rapping and everything was just something I did for fun, but now it is a real passion.”