Corlett to expose ‘power of words’

By Cherie Donnellan
STORYTELLING has power, according to David Corlett.
The documentary maker and writer hoped audiences at Airey’s Inlet’s Lighthouse Literary Festival next weekend would learn from him as much as they would also change his perspective.
“I’m moved by hearing people’s stories and much of what I’ve done is to try and convey those stories to others,” he said.
“I like when I hear stories that make me see a side I’d never thought of”.
Festival organisers approached the Airey’s local because of his extensive research work on refugees and asylum seekers.
Corlett is best-known for hosting SBS documentary Go Back To Where You Came From. “I’ve spent my life researching and writing,” he said.
“I think my role is to help people understand the dynamics of other people’s worlds.”
Corlett said his hosting role on the SBS show and his studies of other cultures had shaped his ideas about the power of words.
“Words matter. Ideas matter,” he said.
“How those ideas are conveyed can be more or less powerful.
“I think it’s important for people to understand others’ stories and for those stories to be framed in the right contexts.”
Corlett said he would participate in an artistic “exploration of silence” during the festival’s Saturday night program.
He would host discussions about the “power of words to change people’s attitudes” alongside lawyer and refugee rights advocate Julian Burnside and radio presenter Amanda Smith during a Sunday session.
The festival runs from April 20 to 22.