Private Members' Statements
Wednesday 21 February 2024
S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (15:44): It is my favourite time of the year: we have the Fringe, we have the Adelaide Festival and we have WOMADelaide. We are already at that part of the year when we are asking each other what shows we recommend and what we might go and see on any weeknight or on the weekends.
The arts should challenge us to think of possibilities we could never imagine for ourselves, to think deeply about what it means to be human and the society we live in. To hear, to see, and to observe another person's story is to have the opportunity to walk in someone else's shoes and to better understand another person's experience and feel empathy. We could possibly see some of ourselves reflected in the arts, to validate and celebrate our differences and to laugh and lose ourselves for a moment from our everyday lives. The arts can offer all of us the possibility to create beauty or to safely witness and experience anguish.
It is another opportunity for our young people to get involved and to experience a safe place where they can truly understand who they are until their own individual stories. High school does not offer a place where everyone can find their tribe, but you can certainly do that in the arts. The arts community have long been at the forefront of celebrating diversity and we will see shows from our disabled, queer and young people and across our regions. If you are looking for us, I will be under the flags at WOMAD.
