Everybody is talking about the Olympic Games and everyone’s also talking about Rhoda Roberts, the Bundjalung woman heading up the first big event of the Olympics, The Festival of the Dreaming.
Scheduled from 15th September 1997 to 6th October 1997, The Festival of the Dreaming will showcase the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts community of Australia as well as play host to other indigenous artists from around the world.
Rhoda has a long history working with the arts. She was a co-founding member of Australia’s first national Aboriginal theatre company, The Aboriginal National Theatre Trust. She has worked as a journalist and producer for ABC TV and SBS TV and with radio. She was the first Aboriginal person to host a national prime time current affairs program: First in Line and later Vox Populi. And of course she is the host of Deadly Sounds Australia’s national Aboriginal music program.
‘The Festival is working hard to include as many cultures as possible as well as all art forms,’ Rhoda told Deadly Vibe.
‘It will showcase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures as well as other indigenous cultures from North America, Canada, Asia, Greenland, New Zealand and Oceania,’ she added.
Rhoda is working hard to make sure that the festival represents Aboriginal people accurately and tackle head on many of the stereotypes we face.
‘This is our opportunity to present indigenous culture to a world wide audience and to show people what Aboriginal art and culture is.’
The festival will be staged primarily in the Sydney Business District and around Sydney Harbour. Venues in Western Sydney will also be involved.
‘We plan to tour components of the festival such as exhibitions plays, dance works and music groups around Australia after The Festival of the Dreaming,’ Rhoda said.
And for all you music fans, keep reading Deadly Vibe. We are sure there will be something for us somewhere in the program showing the diversity of the Aboriginal music scene. More of that later.
Of course, all you thousands of Rhoda Roberts fans out there, you can tune in and listen to her cool tones on Deadly Sounds every week, check out the station nearest to you on page 11 of this Deadly Vibe.
Comments are closed.