Melbourne United Multicultural Stories: David Okwera

For some, Melbourne can be an intimidating city.

Full of bustling streets and busy traffic, from the outside looking in it can look chaotic, but for teenage rising star David Okwera, the adjustment has been smooth.

Born and raised in Perth, Okwera, or ‘Dsav’ to his friends, said he had to quickly adjust to the sheer amount of new faces surrounding him when he landed in the sporting capital.

“Coming from Perth here to Melbourne, Perth’s a bit smaller, there’s not as many people around.

“Coming to Melbourne was new to me, there’s a lot of extra faces, there’s a lot of people here.”

After settling, Dsav quickly got to connecting with his teammates, who embraced his South Sudanese background, giving him the opportunity to learn about some of the other cultures within Melbourne United.

“It’s special, it’s great being diverse on the team, we can learn a lot about each individual and their cultures, I love it.”

While Okwera is thriving in Melbourne, his love for his family has made it hard being away from Perth.

Thinking back to some of his fondest memories growing up, they revolve around family.

“Coming together as a family, all my aunties, cousins and what not. Just grouping up as a family and eating our cultural food and sharing memories.

“I’ve got a lot of family, my cousins are spread out in the USA and in Africa, and we’ve got a lot of close friends in Australia.”

Thinking of that food; that home cooking only a mother can create, brings a smile to Dsav’s face.

“My mum loves to cook food from back home, anytime she gets the chance to cook for me and my family, I love it. There’s one called adachi (otherwise known as adas), that’s one of my favourites.”

Watch Dsav as he continues to grow as a basketball player this Sunday at 1pm during The Multicultural Game.

Tickets are on sale here.