Raging in various degrees of intensity since 1983, it has been one of the least known but more intractable wars of the postcolonial era. Labelled as a "forgotten war," it has caused at least 65,000 deaths, displaced up to one million people, resulted in severe human rights abuses, and compromised Sri Lanka's once promising development.________________________
by Firdaus Ali
(May 22, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) "Men in battle garb, whether they come with swords or guns, on a horse or in armoured cars, the price of conquest seems heightened by the violation of women," wrote Dr. Rajani Thiranagama, a few months before she was assassinated in Jaffna, northern Sri Lanka.
And, it was exactly the subject of "woman and war" that captivated Montreal-based filmmaker Helene Klodowsky and formed the beginnings of yet another powerful film. "The real heroes in any war are the people. And, it is the strong women that help keep families, neighbourhoods, societies and nations alive during turbulent times, like in Sri Lanka," Helene said in a recent interview to Voice.
She was moved by the courageous story of Dr. Rajani — a mother, anatomy professor, author and symbol of hope — who was killed at the age of thirty-five. "Rajani Thiranagama's life was marked with vision. Her tragic death demonstrates the dangers faced by women everywhere who are struggling for human rights in the face of violence and corruption," reflects Helene.
The filmmaker believed that by following Rajani's lifestory and the circumstances surrounding her untimely death, several themes could be explored simultaneously: nationalism vs. anti-nationalism, the lives of women as both participants and innocent victims of war, and the belief in armed struggle vs. a critique of militarism.
Helene has been writing and directing social, political and art documentaries for 20 years. A graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and Queen's University, her films have been screened and televised around the world and have won more than 25 awards.
Her recent film "No More Tears Sister" offered food for thought and triggered off animated debates, when shown at a world premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto last month. The film will screen at the Seattle Film Festival, the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in New York and the Banff Television Festival later this spring.
"I knew that creating a portrait of a slain human rights activist would be no easy feat — especially given the fact that there were no surviving archives, few photos and, due to security concerns, no access to filming in Jaffna where Rajani lived and worked. In addition, most of her friends, former students and colleagues were far too fearful to speak about her on camera. Almost everything would have to be constructed, but based on careful research I wanted "No More Tears Sister" to reflect the passion and beauty of Rajani's ideals. I aimed at making a film that is political, feminist and aesthetic," adds Helene.
A story of love, revolution, and betrayal, "No More Tears Sister" explores the price of truth in times of war; Rajani was anti-war in every sense, openly condemning the LTTE's strategy and failures, just as she condemned the actions of the Sri Lankan military and the Indian Peace Keeping Force. She was shot dead as she cycled back home from the University one evening in September 1989. The bullets that killed her are believed to be that of an LTTE assassin's.
"One day some gun will silence me and it will not be held by an outsider but by the son born in the womb of this very society, from a woman with whom my history is shared," wrote Dr. Rajani in 1989, a few months before she was killed. And, to film her story, Helene traveled to the other side of the globe, researching and documenting one gutsy woman's journey and in the process opening up the violent, ethnic conflict of Sri Lanka, to the entire world.
Fifteen years after Rajani's death, her charismatic older sister Nirmala, a former Tamil militant and political prisoner, journeys back to Sri Lanka. She has decided to break her long silence about Rajani's passionate life, and her brutal slaying. Joining her are Rajani's husband, sisters, and grown daughters, as well as fellow activists forced underground. Stunningly photographed, using rare archival footage, intimate correspondence and poetic recreations, the story of Rajani and her family delves into rarely explored themes — revolutionary women and their dangerous pursuit of justice.
The film, a production of the National Film Board of Canada dwells on the theme: Sri Lankan Tamils must debate how to stop retributive killings in the community, not who's next.
The film, based mainly on interviews with members of Rajani's family and on archival material, and narrated by the Sri Lankan-Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje, vividly captures her transformation from a sympathizer of the Tigers' cause to one of its fiercest critics.
Following Rajani's killing, Jaffna saw a few protests but they quickly fizzled out when the LTTE began contacting participants individually, asking them to pipe down.
As the documentary notes, those were the last spontaneous instances of free expression in northern Sri Lanka.
"The sensitive subject of the film made it impossible for a filmmaker from within Sri Lanka to make the film. Someone from outside was needed to tell Rajani's story," says Helene. The film was conceived of as a three-part series entitled ‘Women and War.’
"When I was first approached by the National Film Board of Canada to make a film about women and war, I considered myself up to the task. Besides making films about other conflict zones, I had lived close to the shadows of war. My mother survived the Lodz Ghetto and other concentration camps. Questions about war and women's experience in war were part of my daily vocabulary," recalls Helene.
She was drawn to the subject of women's experience of war in Sri Lanka — a conflict that scholar Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah has called the "ethnic fratricide" of his country.
Raging in various degrees of intensity since 1983, it has been one of the least known but more intractable wars of the postcolonial era. Labelled as a "forgotten war," it has caused at least 65,000 deaths, displaced up to one million people, resulted in severe human rights abuses, and compromised Sri Lanka's once promising development.
"I wanted to understand how ethnic conflict and nationalist struggles impact women — be they victims of war, militant fighters or peace builders. I wondered whether there was a feminist critique of both state and guerrilla violence? It was well known that the Sri Lankan military and the opposition Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were both guilty of torture, illegal detention, disappearances and extrajudicial executions. I wanted to explore whether women were, on one hand, torn between loyalties to their ethnic community and, on the other hand, the community of women? Did oppressed minority women imagine fighting injustice in different ways than their male counterparts?"
Embracing feminism and a belief in human rights, Dr. Rajani felt that women in particular were the primary casualties of war. This film powerfully demonstrates the risks faced by people everywhere who are working to promote human rights and protect innocent lives.
This was an important film because of its feminist perspective, its strong voice for human rights, and its resonance here in Canada, which is home to the world's largest Tamil community outside Sri Lanka. Like all communities who have migrated here, Tamil Canadians have brought with them their concerns about events taking place in their homeland. It is vital that Canadians understand the politics and social issues of Sri Lanka.
"Rajani had a vision for her people, the Sri Lankan Tamils. She envisioned a time when they would live in peace and dignity, enjoying democratic rights and freedoms. Standing against oppression and brutality in all its forms, she is a beacon of light for a community living in fear and struggling for self-respect. She will never be forgotten and is an icon for everyone in Sri Lanka fighting for freedom."
Helene's candid style of filmmaking accompanied by the interweaving of compelling personal narratives and complex political analysis makes the film unforgettable. Though set in Sri Lanka, Rajani's story has parallels in postcolonial societies around the world. She was part of a generation of political activists of the 1960s and '70s who dreamed of radically transforming their societies. Sadly, this idealism often fell victim to narrow nationalist agendas.
For years the government and rebels kept trying to bury the story of Rajani and only succeeded in having songs sung in her praise. In the midst of the ongoing conflict, Rajani's story constantly gives Sri Lankans a reason to affirm and celebrate themselves as a people. They should continue to do so in the name of peace and justice.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
(May 22, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) "Men in battle garb, whether they come with swords or guns, on a horse or in armoured cars, the price of conquest seems heightened by the violation of women," wrote Dr. Rajani Thiranagama, a few months before she was assassinated in Jaffna, northern Sri Lanka.
And, it was exactly the subject of "woman and war" that captivated Montreal-based filmmaker Helene Klodowsky and formed the beginnings of yet another powerful film. "The real heroes in any war are the people. And, it is the strong women that help keep families, neighbourhoods, societies and nations alive during turbulent times, like in Sri Lanka," Helene said in a recent interview to Voice.
She was moved by the courageous story of Dr. Rajani — a mother, anatomy professor, author and symbol of hope — who was killed at the age of thirty-five. "Rajani Thiranagama's life was marked with vision. Her tragic death demonstrates the dangers faced by women everywhere who are struggling for human rights in the face of violence and corruption," reflects Helene.
The filmmaker believed that by following Rajani's lifestory and the circumstances surrounding her untimely death, several themes could be explored simultaneously: nationalism vs. anti-nationalism, the lives of women as both participants and innocent victims of war, and the belief in armed struggle vs. a critique of militarism.
Helene has been writing and directing social, political and art documentaries for 20 years. A graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and Queen's University, her films have been screened and televised around the world and have won more than 25 awards.
Her recent film "No More Tears Sister" offered food for thought and triggered off animated debates, when shown at a world premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto last month. The film will screen at the Seattle Film Festival, the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in New York and the Banff Television Festival later this spring.
"I knew that creating a portrait of a slain human rights activist would be no easy feat — especially given the fact that there were no surviving archives, few photos and, due to security concerns, no access to filming in Jaffna where Rajani lived and worked. In addition, most of her friends, former students and colleagues were far too fearful to speak about her on camera. Almost everything would have to be constructed, but based on careful research I wanted "No More Tears Sister" to reflect the passion and beauty of Rajani's ideals. I aimed at making a film that is political, feminist and aesthetic," adds Helene.
A story of love, revolution, and betrayal, "No More Tears Sister" explores the price of truth in times of war; Rajani was anti-war in every sense, openly condemning the LTTE's strategy and failures, just as she condemned the actions of the Sri Lankan military and the Indian Peace Keeping Force. She was shot dead as she cycled back home from the University one evening in September 1989. The bullets that killed her are believed to be that of an LTTE assassin's.
"One day some gun will silence me and it will not be held by an outsider but by the son born in the womb of this very society, from a woman with whom my history is shared," wrote Dr. Rajani in 1989, a few months before she was killed. And, to film her story, Helene traveled to the other side of the globe, researching and documenting one gutsy woman's journey and in the process opening up the violent, ethnic conflict of Sri Lanka, to the entire world.
Fifteen years after Rajani's death, her charismatic older sister Nirmala, a former Tamil militant and political prisoner, journeys back to Sri Lanka. She has decided to break her long silence about Rajani's passionate life, and her brutal slaying. Joining her are Rajani's husband, sisters, and grown daughters, as well as fellow activists forced underground. Stunningly photographed, using rare archival footage, intimate correspondence and poetic recreations, the story of Rajani and her family delves into rarely explored themes — revolutionary women and their dangerous pursuit of justice.
The film, a production of the National Film Board of Canada dwells on the theme: Sri Lankan Tamils must debate how to stop retributive killings in the community, not who's next.
The film, based mainly on interviews with members of Rajani's family and on archival material, and narrated by the Sri Lankan-Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje, vividly captures her transformation from a sympathizer of the Tigers' cause to one of its fiercest critics.
Following Rajani's killing, Jaffna saw a few protests but they quickly fizzled out when the LTTE began contacting participants individually, asking them to pipe down.
As the documentary notes, those were the last spontaneous instances of free expression in northern Sri Lanka.
"The sensitive subject of the film made it impossible for a filmmaker from within Sri Lanka to make the film. Someone from outside was needed to tell Rajani's story," says Helene. The film was conceived of as a three-part series entitled ‘Women and War.’
"When I was first approached by the National Film Board of Canada to make a film about women and war, I considered myself up to the task. Besides making films about other conflict zones, I had lived close to the shadows of war. My mother survived the Lodz Ghetto and other concentration camps. Questions about war and women's experience in war were part of my daily vocabulary," recalls Helene.
She was drawn to the subject of women's experience of war in Sri Lanka — a conflict that scholar Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah has called the "ethnic fratricide" of his country.
Raging in various degrees of intensity since 1983, it has been one of the least known but more intractable wars of the postcolonial era. Labelled as a "forgotten war," it has caused at least 65,000 deaths, displaced up to one million people, resulted in severe human rights abuses, and compromised Sri Lanka's once promising development.
"I wanted to understand how ethnic conflict and nationalist struggles impact women — be they victims of war, militant fighters or peace builders. I wondered whether there was a feminist critique of both state and guerrilla violence? It was well known that the Sri Lankan military and the opposition Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were both guilty of torture, illegal detention, disappearances and extrajudicial executions. I wanted to explore whether women were, on one hand, torn between loyalties to their ethnic community and, on the other hand, the community of women? Did oppressed minority women imagine fighting injustice in different ways than their male counterparts?"
Embracing feminism and a belief in human rights, Dr. Rajani felt that women in particular were the primary casualties of war. This film powerfully demonstrates the risks faced by people everywhere who are working to promote human rights and protect innocent lives.
This was an important film because of its feminist perspective, its strong voice for human rights, and its resonance here in Canada, which is home to the world's largest Tamil community outside Sri Lanka. Like all communities who have migrated here, Tamil Canadians have brought with them their concerns about events taking place in their homeland. It is vital that Canadians understand the politics and social issues of Sri Lanka.
"Rajani had a vision for her people, the Sri Lankan Tamils. She envisioned a time when they would live in peace and dignity, enjoying democratic rights and freedoms. Standing against oppression and brutality in all its forms, she is a beacon of light for a community living in fear and struggling for self-respect. She will never be forgotten and is an icon for everyone in Sri Lanka fighting for freedom."
Helene's candid style of filmmaking accompanied by the interweaving of compelling personal narratives and complex political analysis makes the film unforgettable. Though set in Sri Lanka, Rajani's story has parallels in postcolonial societies around the world. She was part of a generation of political activists of the 1960s and '70s who dreamed of radically transforming their societies. Sadly, this idealism often fell victim to narrow nationalist agendas.
For years the government and rebels kept trying to bury the story of Rajani and only succeeded in having songs sung in her praise. In the midst of the ongoing conflict, Rajani's story constantly gives Sri Lankans a reason to affirm and celebrate themselves as a people. They should continue to do so in the name of peace and justice.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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