Her honesty and openness touched many people
‘Honesty is reached by the doorway of grief and loss. Where we cannot go in our mind, our memory, or our body is where we cannot be straight with another, our world, or our self.’ - David Whyte
Natalie Soysa’s talents and skills were many: she had great personal creative gifts, and also a tremendous generosity in seeing and encouraging the creative visions and contributions of others, in creative writing, acting, music, activism, journalism and every form of human expression.
But her superpower, in my opinion, which fuelled her most powerful transformative impact in the areas in which she worked, and connected with people, was her honesty. She was honest with herself and her life, with insights rare in such a young person; and she was uncompromisingly honest in her challenging perspectives on society and its injustices and inequities.
She had the grace to always make the effort to express her ideas in positive ways, and the courage and strength to constructively use her anger, disappointment, grief and outrage at the way positive ventures have often been short-changed and eroded by mainstream unconcern, ignorance and complacency.
She was a person who recognised excellence, and the purity and energy of a passionate engagement with life, and was dedicated to the achievement of both in creative expression. To do this, she lived with an awareness few in a conservative or hidebound society understand or attain themselves.
Natalie’s work is known by diverse groups of people with whom she collaborated in many projects. It is now, after her passing that we all can commemorate her, and see the range of issues and platforms across which she has been working.
Her commitment to the broadening and deepening of social understanding and awareness was shown in the way she worked to open community discussion about beliefs and ideas which are so seldom openly discussed or even admitted. These include the need for the protection of the rights and dignities of vulnerable groups; the need to re-evaluate mindsets which prevent the full participation of diverse citizens in the development of the country; the need to challenge outmoded and damaging beliefs; and the need to not just tolerate but inform ourselves about those who are different from us, without judgment, dismissal and defensiveness, to engage with them, and respect them.
She made the world of ideas, words and visual creativity in Sri Lanka not only a better place, but a bigger and more inclusive place: by challenging the cliquishness, snobbery, self-righteousness, hypocrisy and fame seeking of many operating in the performing arts worlds, particularly at the intersections of creativity and marketing.
Her openness of mind and heart led to an ongoing opening of creative doors and pathways for others, and her work will be respected and remembered by her colleagues in many forms, and inspire the younger generations of creatives who are just starting their own journeys.
We were greatly fortunate to have had Natalie Soysa living and working in our country during her unjustly short life. She did more, and more effectively, in that life, than many do in a far longer span. And we are so thankful for it.
Devika Brendon