| by Thisara
Devasurendra
( November 11, 2012,
Paris, Sri Lanka Guardian) Rather than quoting empirical data, and authors or
complex theories, today I will speak to you through my experiences.
As far as I remember, like the
majority of my Sri Lankan friends born during the eighties, I have always known
my parents’ country as a country in war. And even if the conflict is over since
a few years now, I frequently get reminded that there was a war. Especially
when I meet someone new, and they ask me where I come from I naturally respond
to them - Sri Lanka.
To the majority of people that
I have told about my origins, many are clueless, and I just don’t insist. For
those of whom are accustomed to living in very cosmopolitan areas of the world
or are slightly more aware of the world will ask me, “there’s a war there isn’t
it? So are you Tamil or Sinhala? So who are the real bad guys?” All these
questions awakens horrid memories that I witnessed as a child during my
frequent stays in Sri Lanka. So yes, it makes me upset that this beautiful
country had undergone one of the bloodiest wars that even I witnessed, leaving
a real meaning to the word ‘gruesome’ in my mind.
Truth be told, I have lived in
Sri Lanka, and I go there as much as few times a year since birth, yet I have
only been to the Northern part of Sri Lanka during the summer of 2011, and
before that the most Northern point I had been was Trincomalee in 2005. It is
when I went to Jaffna in 2011 that the feeling that something wasn’t right
started growing in my mind. Witnessing all the chaos that ravaged Jaffna and
seeing this for the first time gave me chills in my spine. I was then on a
family holiday with my parents, aunts, uncles and my grandmother who also lived
until the mid-60’s in Jaffna and left like many others during the 70’s. Then I
thought to myself, war is certainly over politically speaking, but what if my
family background had its roots in Jaffna, and it was the first time I was able
to visit my grandmother in Jaffna?
What would one feel coming to
visit his or her grandparents or family for the first time and see all the
monuments destroyed by bombing or even bullet ridden walls on their family home
if not completely destroyed?
How would one feel going back
to Colombo and the rest of the country and see the decadence of Sri Lanka after
seeing a ruined city by 30 years of war? If it were me, I would indeed have a
feeling of bitterness or anger. It is this feeling that can intoxicate the
Diaspora, thus the peace between the different populations of Sri Lanka
anywhere in the world and that I therefore resent.
I would like to talk about
this war in the past tense and talk about the future in the present and future
tense. When you are part of the Diaspora, your vision of Sri Lanka is usually
distorted. You appropriate your cultural identity through what ties you to the
country –your parents, family and peers. Even when you go to Sri Lanka, your
visions and impressions are biased by cultural and linguistic barriers. Yet my
observation is that the Sri Lankan Diaspora youth is more inclined in keeping
in touch with traditions than the ones living in Sri Lanka.
Likewise their will to
proclaim their cultural difference or identity is often very visible. We should
all be proud of carrying over a bit of our heritage and passing it over to the
future generations. But what kind of message and vision has been passed on to
us? And as a generation which was born to an era of war? What did our parents
and elders go through during this war? How much have WE been exposed to it? Why
or how did their opinions shape our point of view? Or at least contribute to
it?
My frequent travels to Sri
Lanka helped me keep up with my cultural identity, I am lucky enough to have
lived there and kept contact with my friends, and meet them ever so often that
I can and act like a normal Sri Lankan.
Having the ability to do
things to a certain extent on my own has brought me the ability of having a
more personal and less biased point of view –at least the illusion of it. Over
the years I started contesting and arguing with my parents about topics on Sri
Lanka, and I still do, this is thanks to my own point of contacts to Sri Lanka.
Saying that the world is moving very fast is stating the obvious, but to the
risk of sounding like my parents, I have to admit that even I was surprised to
witness the speed of Sri Lanka’s metamorphosis, and its population. There is a
gap between how one can assess information and when the information is being
delivered to them.
The interpretation of the
information will be the key and this will also reflect the involvement to the
country of origin. Yet there is a great gap between how Sri Lankans from Sri
Lanka perceived themselves and perceive the situation of the country and how
the Diaspora perceives the Sri Lankans and Sri Lanka.
There is one upside to being
part of the Diaspora I think. That is preserving the cultural identity, which
has started to dilute in Sri Lanka. The downside is, maintaining stereotypical
viewpoints inherited by people acting like a bridge between the Diaspora youth
and the country of origin. So how could Sri Lankan Diaspora youth help?
Changing a mindset is a hard
to achieve. Yet change can start but it needs commitment. The Diaspora is
indeed a key factor in Sri Lanka’s image, as they are the interface between the
country and foreigners. Moreover, it remains a main artery to the peace
building process. The Diaspora youth has acquired a certain set of skills
through the process of schooling in France or abroad, which is living with each
other. The mix of origins in a classroom is often very eclectic. Thus making
this generation more inclined to diversity. This is one very positive aspect we
should start capitalizing on. And I am persuaded that there are many more.
Likewise to show change, it
will need certain commitments and life choices from a group of individuals who
are determined to carry on this will to make things better. This will require
them to live in Sri Lanka and reach influential positions in society, but they
will have to accept that they probably will not see the fruit of their work and
choices.
On the other hand the Diaspora can be fearfully dangerous to the current peace process. As mentioned before, the gap between the current situation and the belief of the Diaspora could harm the reconciliation process at this very early stage, and even deepen the current laceration the country is already trying or not, to heal.
“Start as you
mean to go along”. Cemal Tosun
[Thisara
Devasurendra holds an MBA from Bournemouth University, UK. He currently
works as an economic projects manager for an NGO based in Marseille, France. He
also runs a research & development business in the field of renewable
energies in Brittany, France.]
 Rather than quoting empirical data, and authors or compl...){kind=link}