When Oti Mabuse speaks, we all listen
WACL Speaker Dinner with Patron Oti Mabuse
This month some of us were lucky enough to attend the hugely popular Speaker Dinner at the Mandarin Oriental with WACL100 Patron Oti Mabuse. And what a speaker she was. The whole room left feeling that Oti isn’t just a world class dancer, mentor, judge and presenter; she’s a world class woman in every sense.
Born in South Africa just as apartheid ended as an official system but not as a mindset, young Oti was taught by her mother and sisters to fight bias and prejudice wherever she could, and the compassion as well as fortitude that she demonstrated was amazing as she talked about forgiving and moving on whilst working always to lift others up. She surrounds herself with people whose light and positive energy radiate and inspire, and that’s something that resonated with every WACL-er in the room. The sisterhood was out in strength this evening as Oti was interviewed by her good friend, our very own Jackie Stevenson, while her great friend Takkies Dinwiddy cheered her on all evening.
Oti really is a living, breathing embodiment of refusing to be constrained by other people’s narrow views or assumptions. She was so powerful and eloquent talking about how important it is to be a role model, forging a path for women and girls who look like her who are still too often made to feel that they don’t belong, whether in the world of dance, TV or society more broadly. The way Oti uses her voice and her platform to make other women feel empowered and to uplift those who are up-and-coming is something that resonated with us all. And her mentorship and advice is valuable for us all to remember: hold on to your self-worth, let your light radiate for others too, and know that hard work pays off.
Oti refuses to be boxed in by beliefs about how women should behave too, ignoring critiques of women as ‘too emotional’. Instead, she demonstrates fierce strength and spirit (whether in competition or fighting for social justice), as well as love, kindness, joy and support for her sisterhood and for her husband Marius – her partner both in dance and in life.
Most of all, Oti showed us all that she is so much more than the image millions have of her as the beautiful, charismatic and talented performer. This former engineer is a super smart business woman and activist too, with a voice whose power and empathy we’ll be hearing much more from. And that can only be a good thing.
Oh, as if that wasn’t enough… Oti also made Jan Gooding’s dreams come true by giving her an impromptu demo of the tango hold. Jan, like all of us, has been walking on air ever since. Oti, we love you. We thank you for being our Patron this year. And we’re so inspired to see you continue to go from strength to strength.
Huge thanks to Karen Stacey and her team for organising the event; to Carol Reay and the WACL100 team; and to Jackie Stevenson for doing the best job of interviewing Oti.
The Oti Mabuse Speaker Dinner was held on Tuesday 9th May at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in London
About the author
The Others & Me; Author of No More Menemies