DescriptionThis interview consists of two audio recordings and transcripts. Omari Wakilongo was interviewed on 19 April 2010 at the Whitlam Library, Cabramatta by Shirley Kingsford McLeod. Interview SummaryOmari Wakilongo arrived in Australia as a refugee from Burundi, a country in the central part of Africa. The country is predominantly Roman Catholic although Omari now follows the Pentecostal religion. He speaks Swahili, Burundi, French and some Japanese which he learnt from missionaries in refugee camps. He also speaks English.
Omari studied in the Congo after his father was killed in the war between Tutsis and Hutus in 1973. His mother also died later due to health problems. He was brought up by a foster mother who came to Congo from a refugee camp in Tanzania and they lived together in a refugee camp in Congo. Times were tough and in 1996 he married in Tanzania. His wife was born in Congo. He spent 10 years in the refugee camps doing differing tasks including building.
In 2007 the family arrived in Sydney as refugees and were taken by bus to a suburb of Wollongong where they stayed in a hotel for a few weeks.
They were assisted by the church to come to Sydney where they lived in Fairfield although at the time of this interview they were attempting to move elsewhere due to problems with their housing.
At the time of this interview Omari was studying English at TAFE. His wife was having long periods of ill health. They are attending church regularly.
Omari is an advisor for the Congolese Council of Australia at this time. He likes living here as he has found that there is no discrimination. In Congo he had worked for 10 years with AIDS infected people and would like to continue here working with people who are disabled and he is already providing support for traumatised migrants. He is also working in goals with young African boys. Cycling is one of his hobbies and he is involved in a cycling club.
