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Sana Mammo and Richard Tognetti in Conversation with Richard Fidler on ABC Radio

Friday, 09 March 2007 10:00

Sana Mammo is truly breaking down barriers in our community. Originally from Iraq, Sana lived under Saddam Hussein's regime before moving to Australia to begin working as an engineer. However her life changed the day the Coalition Forces began bombing Iraq. It was emotional for Sana to see her culture endure that kind of destruction, but when her daughter refused to go to school the next day because she had been told she'd be ignored because of her Iraqi heritage, Sana knew something had to be done. Two years ago she developed Kidz 2 Kidz, a program that aims to bring children from different backgrounds into close contact with each other.

Despite living through most of Saddam's dictatorship, Sana's memories of Iraq are happy. "I have wonderful memories. I remember Iraq peaceful. Iraq is one of the richest countries in the world because we have petrol. Iraqi people, in a way, didn't have their own control. [They've] aways been ruled, always been told what they do, but Iraqi people have sense of pride as well."

After moving to Australia and starting a family, Sana says she was nearly unaware of a division between her childhood culture and her adopted one until operation Shock and Awe began. "2003, the morning of the war, when Australia decided to join the coalition of the willing, Natalie [Sana's daughter] was nine at the time. At five o'clock, when the bombing started, I was very emotional and she came down and said, 'Mum has the war started?' And I said, 'Yes, the war has started.' She said, 'Well, I can't go to school today' and I said, 'Why'? Apparently, as the news and the media were covering the invasion of Iraq, kids were targeting kids. One of them was my daughter and she was told if the war starts, Australian kids would not play with her because her mother is from Iraq. That statement changed my life."

After that awakening Sana set about educating children about other cultures. She began Kidz 2 Kidz, which she says has made an amazing difference. "Basically the foundation is to plant the seeds of hope for future generations. It's bringing children together to understand about cultures and especially after the Iraq war; it's awareness about what is happening in Iraq culture and the children there. The idea was get these kids together from different backgrounds, different schools, disadvantaged or advantaged schools and get them to understand."

Sana says the program will teach all children the lessons she learnt in her life about the differences between cultures. "I am a proud Australian. Australia is my adopted country and I carry the name with pride and honour. But I can't turn my back on my heritage, my culture and where I come from, and this is a strong message to any refugee or new migrant. This message should be loud and clear. Treat this country as a home, not as a refuge because it's one of the best countries."

Richard Tognetti has immense musical talent. He is the artistic director and lead violinist of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, but there is another reason he's been in the news: Richard has in his possession a violin worth $10 million - the Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù 'Carrodus' violin. And the incredible thing is that he is quite willing to show off and even play the priceless instrument.

Richard says an anonymous donor provided the instrument. "When this person rang me up and started discussing this, I thought, oh no, I'm going to be disappointed, and then when it was confirmed after, I said 'Look, are you sure you know how much these fine instruments cost - ball park figures?' I thought they'd fall off then. But then [they] committed to the purchase... I'm still reeling from it and I'm still in disbelief.

"Opening up this violin case [meant] being confronted and inspired by one of the great works of art full stop. It's not just one of the great violins. The most recent owner was an American collector who has about $US300 million worth of these kinds of instruments.

"It's wood of course - spruce, maple and pine. Most violins are made from this. Occasionally you get people experimenting with different types of wood but the recipes that Stradivarius and this particular maker... found the recipes and no one's been able to match them since."

With such an amazing instrument, it's no wonder that Richard has been almost a lifelong student of the violin. "When I was about four or five and then in Wollongong, William Primrose, the world's greatest violist, he moved to Wollongong so I was in the ridiculously fortunate position of finding, in this cultural desert, one of the jewels of the string world, retired and seeking students."

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/conversations/stories/s1868052.htm?queensland