A change of place in Galle

Conflict of interest; dubious remarks:

by Indeewara Thilakarathne and Ranga Chandrarathne

The second Galle Literary Festival (GLF) held in Galle Fort, from January 16-20, opened up a can of worms.

This publicity-hyped event brought to surface many issues including elitism, inclusion, exclusion and even Australian diaspora, although some of these issues were never covered in formal sessions at the GLF. It also brought several key issues about representation and marketing of the exotic nature of our tear-drop shaped island which is at a cross-roads today; sixty years after "claiming" the independence from the British in 1948.

It would have been easier for us to write this feature by cutting and pasting information from the GLF websites and dropping some names of "great writers" who were brave enough to visit our island despite ongoing fighting and security threats associated in our efforts to wipe out terrorism.

Several countries including Australia, Canada, and Britain had updated their travel warnings for tourists advising against visiting war-torn Sri Lanka. But thanks to our brave bunch of elite visitors, who came, who talked, who ate and drank and probably left with a few Sri Lankan souvenirs for their loved ones.

The elitism was evident in many ways at the festival. The local (Sri Lankan) journalist were treated as second class-citizen when they went to meet, talk and learn from the elite group of writers representing Gore Vidal, Alexander McCall Smith, Vikram Seth and up and coming Canadian writer, the Colombo-born Shyam Selvadurai who in a recorded interview revealed: "We are not living in an ideal world irrespective of whether you live in Sri Lanka or abroad".

Selvadurai's words are a good lead to look at the waves and currents left behind by the GLF. First is the exclusion. The exclusion issue relates to many talented Sri Lankan writers who write primarily in their native language were not invited, hence did not become a part of the Festival.

Let me provide one example of an exclusion of a widely acclaimed Sinhala writer who is domiciled in Galle Fort for years which was the venue of 2007 & 2008 Galle Literary Festivals.

The protagonist is Rathna Sri Wijesinghe. He is a poet and lyricist and living in the Galle Fort. In a response to a question, he said he was neither invited nor was he aware of both 2007 and 2008 Galle Literary Festival held in his home town!

The other was the treatment meted out to the local journalists. The elite and prestigious writers who attended the GLF refused to meet or give interviews to "unprepared" local journalists. Festival Director, Australian Libby Southwell advised that we, the local journalists have not done our homework.

Apart from reading Martin Wickramasinghe's stories in English to an "elite" and "foreign" audience, I am not sure whether there was any recognition for Sri Lanka's literary talent particularly those who write in the majority languages of Sinhala and Tamil.

It is evident that there was a big cultural gap or cultural illiteracy about the host country. Exclusion of local writers such as Rathna Sri Wijesinghe is just one example high lighting both cultural and (perhaps language) illiteracy of the Festival organisers.

Although not captured in any significant way in terms of serious academic papers or discussions, writing from the diaspora had surfaced as an issues in the feature I wrote with Indeewara Thilakarathne in the Daily News (22/01/08); a rival English newspaper included a reference "writing from the diaspora" ... about the uprooted Sri Lankans living in Australia." Canadian Sri Lankan diaspora at the GLF was represented through the charming presence of Shyam Selvadurai.

In our view re-visiting diasporic writings whether they are Australian or Canadian Sri Lankan need our attention. First, it is unfair to generalised that all Sri Lankans living in Australia are up rooted. In fact, there are groups of Sri Lankans writers domiciled in Australia who write from Down Under.

The list is exhaustive, and includes Yasmine Gooneratne, Chandani Lokuge, Sunil Govinnage, Palitha Ganewatta, D. B. Kurruppu and a lot more. Some of those writers who have migrated for various reasons have enriched both Australian and Sri Lankan literature by writing both in Sinhala and English. (We are unaware of those writing prose or poetry from Australia in Tamil).

A tradition of representation of Sri Lankan diaspora both in English and Sinhala is emerging from Australia. Late Ajith Samaranayake began writing on this as far back in 2003. (www.sundayobserver.lk/2003/03/23/fea07.html) Second, diasporic writing enriches the scope of any country's literature.

Third, it is imperative that globalise trends of immigration and migration have many tales to tell. There is a plethora of writings on diaspora in a global scale and that's another story.

If we organise a true international literary festival, it is indeed required to discuss broader issues highlighted in a globalised world where writers from one country immigrate and start a representation of another culture through diasporic writings.

Sri Lankan born Australian academic, Emeritus Professor Yasmine Gooneratne's creative prose is a good example. When Professor Gooneratne published her first novel, 'A Change of Sky', she has established a tradition of portraying the life of professional Sri Lankan migrants in Australia.

Her novel not only represented a portrayal of Sri Lankan diaspora in the Australian literary scene but also captured the emergence of a new nation with strong links "'fixated on the mother-country'. (Gooneratne, 1991).

These are important global issues that are not only relevant but are also important to discuss in any international literary festival. But it appears that the Festival organisers had their own agenda which is not fully transparent to all of us! Finally, we want to make a point about the representation of Sri Lankan writers at the GLF.

On the opening day of the Festival, a media release issues stated: "Numerous Sri Lankan authors are also taking part with Jean Arasanayagam, Carl Muller, Punyakante Wijenaike, Shyam Selvadurai, and Yasmine Gooneratne among the most notable.

Organisers believe this years Festival will play even a greater role in helping to put Sri Lankan literature on the world map ..." Well, we can bring a qualification to distinguish these Sri Lankan authors who write in English language which was introduced to Sri Lanka by the British.

And the Festival organisers should have done their home work and realised that Sri Lanka has a written literary tradition dating back to over 2,500 years. The distinguish writers listed in the GLF's media release need a qualification.

These are all Sri Lankan born writers and write in the English language and they are not well-known to the masses and not known in Sri Lank as Sri Lanka writers who write in Sinhala and Tamil.Some of these writers may not be able to write either in Sinhala or Tamil which are the two national languages used by the majority of the population.

Writing on the annual E. F. C. Ludowyk memorial lecture delivered by Gamini K. Haththotuwegama several years ago, Ajith Samaranayake wrote: "It will be an illusion to think that English Departments will be any longer able to produce scholars of the old type steeped in an exclusively English milieu, coming from the correct schools and talking with the proper accents.

But if English is to take root in Sri Lanka it has to assume a native complexion and voice, take root in the soil and be nourished by it." (www.sundayobserver.lk/2005/03/27/fea03.html) I want to emphasise here that those distinguished Sri Lankan writers in the festival brochures belong to a very representative elite class of writers or "scholars of the old type steeped in an exclusively English milieu," hence, it is in a way, incorrect to consider them as Sri Lankan writers.

It may be the reason of exclusion of widely acclaimed Sri Lankan writers such as Rathne Sri Wijesinghe or even Gunadasa Amarasekara as part of the GLF.

We all know that the importance of English, Globalisation, even the need "to put Sri Lankan literature on the world map." But these mapping activities have to represent true Sri Lanka; our farmers, teachers, clergy, workers, soldiers, and even our monolingual school children who will never read either Jane Austin or even Yasmine Gooneratne's excellent work such as the 'Changes of Skies'.

We hope next year, if the GLF organisers consider continuing their "activities" it will be more representative of Sri Lankan culture and all our languages.

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Genuinity vs. double jeopardy

Prof. Neloufer de Mel with Editor of Groundview Sanjana Hattotuwa and the moderator Dr.Rama Mani at the penultimate session titled "Can Language Provide a Bridge to Peace" was an interesting session in many ways.

"I am talking about the need for a deeper level and deeper engagement of language. This has not been supported by any reference material or translations or the availability, for our students to be proficient in English, adequate to read some of the more complicated theoretical pieces."

An unpopular but a genuine remark by Prof. Neloufer de Mel emphatically refusing the idea that academic institutions' imparting English language skills sufficient to secure employment for youth is adequate. Among others, Prof. Neloufer de Mel, articulated her point that piecemeal education of English would not augur for building bridges between Sinhalese and Tamils, and other ethnic groups.

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Writers in conflict

How does conflict affect a writer? Is conflict a mere backdrop for a writer? Does conflict urges a writer to confront its resultant paradoxes and contradictions head on? These were some of the conflicting yet interesting themes that were discussed at the recently concluded Galle Literary Festival under a panel titled "Living with Conflict" at the Maritime Museum, Galle Fort.

The writers who discussed the issues were Kamila Shamsie (Author: In The City By The Sea, Salt and Saffron, Kartography, Broken Verses), Louise Dean (Author: Becoming Strangers), Karen Roberts (Author: Flower Boy and July) and Lal Medawattegedara (Author: The Window Cleaner's Soul and Can You Hear me Running). The panel was moderated by Sharmini Boyle.

The panel began with the moderator, Sharmini, introducing to the packed audience to the writing of each author. Each author was asked to comment about the impact of conflict in his or her work. Thus, began a lively discussion with the participation of a receptive audience.

A conflict by its nature sets off various kinds of ripple effects upon humanity. These effects let loose a plethora of emotions, symbols, images, metaphors, similes, paradoxes and contradictions. Amidst this chaotic brew a writer finds ample inspiration to narrate tales.

In most such tales involving conflict the writer refuses to be tied down to the position of a mere third party observer. He or she actively controls the narration to a point where the narration shows the society the real nature of the conflict thorough characters, backdrop and situations.

Unlike the mass media which tends to concentrate on statistics of a conflict, a writer has to give a face, emotions and thoughts to a conflict. A conflict would usually involve a party sponsored by an established government and another that opposes such patronage.

The fist fight that occurs as a result tends to leave a trail of destruction both physical and emotional, which are fertile grounds for a writer. These were some of the distilled arguments that were discussed at this interesting inter-active panel.