by Sahar FoladiThe prominent Hazara community in the south east gathered to mark the 134th Hazara genocide at the Drum Theatre in Dandenong. Organised by the newly establish Hazara Cultural Association, the first of its kind memorial in Greater Dandenong received an overwhelming positive response. The 1888-93 genocide erased 2.4 million Hazara population (60 per cent) to ethnic cleaning and even resulted in enslavement, land pillaging and forced migration. The Hazara community and the president of the organisation Barat Batoor urged the importance of educating the younger generations and wider community of the Hazara genocide, which he and many others advocates consider to be “one of the longest-running genocides.”“Events like this also raise awareness beyond our community, especially among policymakers, service providers, and human rights organisations,” Mr Batoor says. A renowned figure in the Hazara community worldwide, Mr Gulzari presented facts from the Hazara Archives after spending 37 years researching and preserving the past.