Home / Arts and Entertainment / Rhoda Roberts Honored Posthumously for Cultural Legacy
Rhoda Roberts Honored Posthumously for Cultural Legacy
15 Aug
Summary
- Rhoda Roberts, a proud Widjabul Wieybal Bundjalung woman, received a posthumous lifetime achievement award.
- Roberts was a creative director for the Sydney Olympics 2000 opening ceremony's Awakening segment.
- She was the first Aboriginal person to host a prime-time current affairs show and co-founded Deadly Sounds.
A proud Widjabul Wieybal woman of the Bundjalung nation, Rhoda Roberts, has been posthumously recognized with the lifetime achievement award at the Naidoc awards ceremony held in Alice Springs. Roberts, who passed away in March at the age of 66, was celebrated for her lifelong dedication to sharing, preserving, and promoting First Nations culture through language, dance, and ceremony.
Her remarkable contributions spanned various influential roles. Roberts served as a creative director for the Sydney Olympics in 2000, choreographing the impactful 'Awakening' segment of the opening ceremony. She also made history as the first Aboriginal person to host a prime-time current affairs program, SBS's Vox Populi, in 1991.
Furthermore, Roberts co-founded Deadly Sounds in 1992, a radio program that ran for 21 years, providing a vital platform for Indigenous voices across Australia and the Pacific. She also pioneered Indigenous programming at the Sydney Opera House, initiating the Dance Rites competition and championing Bangarra Dance Theatre and the Deadly awards.
