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| Sunday, 23 January 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Caught up in the tsunami : Forgotten Batticaloa Burghers by Elmo Leonard as related by Maxi Rozairo This is the story of the destruction caused by the tsunami of December 26 on a small community called the Batticaloa Burghers living in the eastern coast and their gallant attempt to rehabilitate themselves.
For the first time in their history, since the 16th century when these descendants of European colonists came together in Batticaloa, these people have become unemployed, for the tsunami took away the tools of their labour. Their carpenters just want carpentry tools so that they could sell their labour needed in rebuilding Batticaloa and in the process, rehabilitate themselves. In like strain, their blacksmiths want the hammer and anvil, the welders, welding equipment and the mechanics, handtools. Manual tools would suffice, they say. The Batticaloa Burghers, are strong physically and in character, and are hard working. Of 290 Burgher families whose houses were destroyed, 120 lost their lives, while ten died in a single family. Hundred-and-ninety-one houses lying on the Dutch Bar were wiped out, together with another 99 of their houses built near the sea. In this single blow of anguish on Boxing Day, many were buried under the brick and mortar of their houses, which earlier afforded them protection from the elements. Many of those who died were young girls, who worked in offices and banks in the establishments around Batticaloa. Others were injured and were taken to hospital, but are ready for work. The Batticaloa Burghers are loved, for they live in a South Asian culture, unyielding to the shame of being engaged in work involving manual labour. Among them were also, motor mechanics, computer technicians, car and lorry drivers, three-wheel drivers and the like, on the day the mighty waters struck.
As in any society, the Batticaloa Burghers of the day belong to different classes, for there are the educated among them who are doctors, academics, bank managers, clerical workers and such other, most of whom move out of Batticaloa. In the 16th century the Portuguese brought along their masons, shoemakers, carpenters, bakers, blacksmiths and the like because such skilled crafts were not known here, or the numbers of such craftsmen were insignificant. And, the indigenous people, often learned the occupation of these `pioneers.' The love and attention of outsiders, for the Batticaloa Burghers is focused on those who followed the life of craft as their ancestors who came here. When the Burgher Association from Colombo answered the distress call of the Burgher Union (Batticaloa) - established in 1927, it was the first time these people who were treated as outcastes by their cousins, were visited by another group of Burghers living outside the East. Sunny Ockersz 73, the President of the Burgher Union is retired from the Sri Lanka Administrative Service and prominent among them. It was his distress call, we heeded, taking a van-load of what we thought was useful, like clothes and food, but our supply which cost us Rs. 70,000 was grossly inadequate. We found the survivors living in pathetic conditions, some seized with emotional trauma, housed at St. Cecilia's Convent. Others were living with friends and relations nearby. They, like all other tsunami survivors had lost everything, other than the clothes they had on. These people fear that they will soon be shifted to refugee camps, because the school they are housed in has to be opened for student studies. These hard-working, self-supporting people of centuries long, are in short supply of mats, pillows, cooking utensils, hurricane lamps and other basic necessities. Their students, up to the advanced level grades, need exercise books, uniforms and simple stationery, not to speak of textbooks. The Burgher Association in Colombo, formed a few years ago appeal to the Burghers living in Sri Lanka, in Australia, UK, Canada and the rest of the English speaking world to assist these people in their hour of need. These people are not just descendants of the Portuguese, as is commonly assumed, for the Portuguese brought with them young people from all parts of Europe. Many of the names they bear are Dutch in origin, because the Dutch who arrived later, married their women. They have names like Barthelot (French), Baltharza (German) then there are names of Spanish, Italian, English, Scandinavian and from other European origin. Among other better names are, De Lima, Ragel, Outschoorn, Sela, Andrado, Symmons and Betterbrown. The ancestors of these people who came with the Portuguese from all over Europe, learned the Portuguese tongue and thus were referred to as Portuguese descendants. They bear no written Portuguese literature and the Croale Portuguese that some senior citizens speak is very similar to the Portuguese spoken in medieval times, according to some experts. It is time that cultural anthropologists study these people, before it is too late. The Association also appeals to the European people and the 25-member European Union to help put the lives of these people who branched off from Europe centuries ago, into perspective that they may continue to live self-dependent lives. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
