A review by Angie Singam
I recently participated in a series of writing workshops and attended a showing of the work, organised by Voices of Women and supported by the City of Ryde, Sydney.
Voices of Women began in 2018. It was founded ‘on a celebration of diversity, creativity, understanding , and more recently, international connection, with this program, titled ‘Sambandha’, (the Sanskrit word for connections), focused primarily on South Asian women and their stories.
It celebrates diversity, creativity and connections with like minded artistes who are female. If you didn’t know whether you were an artiste or had a creative bone in your body, these workshops were a way to find out in a safe place.
It wasn’t surprising that the workshops I attended, run by Lliane Clarke, Artistic Director, Voices of Women, catalysed and spawned moving and inspiring works by a group of women who had (or found out they had) a ‘creative bone in their body’. Assisting Lliane and faciliating the workshops were writer and actor Hasitha Adhikariarachchi and local writer and poet Samantha Sirimanne Hyde, both of Sri Lankan heritage.
Put 15 or so women in a room with the freedom to express themselves and you could end up with a feeling of inner peace and tranquillity or a need for therapy! I was prepared for the latter, being the cynic I am!
The buzz of excitement, the energy, the sense of companionship and shared experiences and most importantly the solidarity and support they gave each other made it a cathartic and fulfilling experience. Sounds like a walk in the park? It was, literally and figuratively.
We walked in the nearby park, seeing, feeling and breathing the experiences and brought it back to our workshop to unpack and explore. A hunched Ewok of a dog, a majestic tree stripped bare by lightening, brown beer bottle resin crystallised on a branch, a playground empty and listless devoid of kids…the experiences were many and varied and morphed into in 3- 5 minute monologues with some prompts from Lliane and a little coaxing of our imaginations.
Workshopping monologues, reading it out it aloud to the group and seeing the instant reaction, made it a bonding experience that had no boundaries.
That’s really what it was – an experience without boundaries but bonded by our common identity as women. The participants came from all parts of Sydney and from different cultures and experiences but predominantly from South Asian roots. Collectively, there was a sense of belonging and togetherness. As one of the participants said to Lliane, ‘I laughed hard like it happened to me. I feel so happy in this space. A different kind of happy – one that is rare….’
The ‘different kind of happy’ was also visually demonstrated in a frieze of paintings done at these workshops by the participants, facilitated by Samantha which served as a backdrop for the final performance on 2 March 2025. This was an informal showing of work developed and devised in the workshops performed by Hasitha, with music by composer and performer, Elizabeth Jigalin.
While I hesitate to say it was the high point, because there were many high points, the readings by the powerhouse of a writer Shankari Chandran (winner of the 2023 Miles Franklin Award) and Samantha Sirimanne Hyde, from their respective books Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens and The Lyrebird’s Cry was a seminal moment. The books speak of the Sri Lankan ethos and culture, though arguably apart in central experiences and themes. Taking liberties here I would say though, dislocation, disenfranchisement and a sense of loss and dispossession permeate both stories.
Samantha bashfully admitted that her story was inspired in part by the experiences of a gay friend. Shankari astutely pointed out that Samantha had ‘giving him a voice’ by embedding his experiences in the book, because Sri Lankan laws still don’t recognise LGBTQI rights. Samantha’s advocacy and her desire to see a change is apparent in the book and the segment she shared with the audience.
Shankari, didn’t grow up in Sri Lanka, but she is moved by the experiences of her people and their land. She spoke of her emotions when she returns to Sri Lanka and crosses Elephant Pass – the sense of coming home to her roots! Her eloquence as a writer and presenter is impressive and her passion for her roots and her identity as a Tamil woman is contagious. I was inspired, moved and also proud to be a part of this shared social and cultural inheritance.
Two South Asian women by descent, making their voices heard to an audience consisting primarily of South Asian women. What an experience!
Lliane explains that, ‘ collaboration has always been embedded in our programs. We love the sparks that fly when we work together – some intentional, many accidental’. Sparks did fly that day – electric and exhilarating sparks! They were intentional!
