She has performed for Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama and experienced the turmoil of the South African apartheid regime.
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But for Savitri Naidoo, her need to circumnavigate the racial separation of her past has, ultimately, become her lifeline.
“When we understand each other and we respect each other there is more harmony and peace,” she said.
Naidoo will bring her story to Maitland next week as presentation manager of the Riverlights Multicultural Festival.
“Being part of this festival has been a lifeline for me since we arrived here from South Africa because it’s about connecting with other people, and being aware that we are all in this together,” Naidoo said.
Naidoo founded Vadhini Arts Academy – a renowned dance academy in South Africa.
When Naidoo and her family moved to Australia in 2009 she opened a dance school as a way to continue her passion for performance and Indian folklore, and connect with others in her new country.
Being part of the Riverlights Festival has become a natural progression.
“This festival is so unique in the sense that all of us who volunteer
actually have a voice and because of this voice we can empower the cultural groups to not only integrate but share their values and their culture in a very social manner,” Naidoo said.
“Although this is a free country we still tend to cling to our own cultural roots in a foreign country, especially as migrants and, by using the arts, we can start sharing.”
Maitland’s Multicultural Riverlights Festival will return to the Riverside Car Park on Saturday, October 11.
