The power of performance

Sunethra Bandaranaike believes passionately in the need to raise awareness about the issues and challenges relating to persons living with disability in Sri Lanka . Quite right too, considering she is the Chairperson of Sunera Foundation, a charity which, for the last 8 years, has been working towards the social integration of disabled youth in Sri Lanka, through the performing arts.

Sunera harnesses the therapeutic mediums of dance, music, drama and theatre, which have been recognised and used the world over, as effective tools for the rehabilitation and integration of the disabled into mainstream society.

Performance has proved to be an extremely effective tool in this regard, as it provides the disabled with a wonderful platform for self discovery and self expression, whilst also acting as a powerful method for showcasing the abilities rather than the disability of persons living with disability.

Thus is born a wonderful symbiosis whereby the disabled find their sense of self and self confidence, whilst their communities become more aware of their talents and the importance of including them as valuable members of society.

Sunethra went on to highlight the proactive nature of Sunera, for the last 8 years. In March 2007, Douglas Devananda Minister for Social services. Signed Sri Lanka up as a participating country of the UN Convention on Disability. Article 29 of that convention states the importance of encouraging persons with disability to engage in activities in the social and cultural arena, through mediums such as theatre and drama.

Whilst Sunethra is glad that both Sri Lanka and the international community have turned their minds to issues pertaining to disability, through the UN Convention, she also pointed out that the very matter articulated in Article 29 is exactly what Sunera has been doing for the last 8 years, long before the UN convention came into being.

Sunera takes an non patronising view of the disabled - we recognise that disabled people can be very articulate, spirited and talented. Hence, since its inception, Sunera has been encouraging its disabled participants, through performance, to advocate and articulate messages which facilitate their integration into society.

Looking ahead

Sunethra is glad that Sunera’s current activities are being sustained and developed to her satisfaction, though, being a perfectionist, she endeavours to take the organization to greater heights.

Sunera is currently developing its Forum Theatre Project. Forum Theatre is a relatively new form of theatre in Sri Lanka, wherein the audience interacts with the performers on stage, and go as far as suggesting outcomes and endings for the performance.

Forum Theatre must be handled sensitively and responsibly, as individual and community sensibilities can be offended if sensitive subject matters such as conflict, marginalization and disability are not handled carefully.

Hence, Sunera is using the most experienced resource persons and trainers to ensure that we get the optimum benefits from this activity.

Sunera, in collaboration with Sarvodaya, has started medical camps in each of its island - wide workshops.

Under this project, each Sunera workshop participant is examined thoroughly by a Sarvodaya doctor and issued with a card, verifying that they have been examined and registered under the Sunera - Sarvodaya Medical Camp Programme.

This card then entitles the disabled participant to be referred to their local doctor and/or hospital for any medical attention they may require.

Sunethra is every mindful of the importance of having in place good “leaders” to carry on the work of Sunera, long after Sunethra Bandaranaike has lived her life! Hence, she states that she intends to build on the leadership skills and qualities of the current trainers so they can groom the next level of trainers.

She also stated that the current Executive Director of Sunera, Chandrika Subasinghe, is someone with strong management skills, thus ensuring that office operations were progressing soundly.

Cultural overhaul

Whilst Sunethra feels that she can sit back and be satisfied with where Sunera is and where it is going, she states that issues such as disability are very low on the list of social priorities in Sri Lanka. With the focus being on conflict and conflict resolution, disability is very much in the background of Sri Lanka‘s socio-cultural landscape, thereby rendering fund-raising for disability related activities a real challenge.

Sunethra is well aware of other important social issues which are sidelined as she is the Chairperson of the Asia Pacific Leadership Forum of the UNAIDS Programme.

She states that over the last few years, thanks to the collective efforts of the Ministry of Health as well as local and foreign Non Government Organizations working in this field in Sri Lanka, stigmatisation of persons living with HIV and AIDS is decreasing. She reiterates that performance is a useful tool to educate the public about important social issues such as HIV AIDS.

She felt that, unlike countries such as India which preserves and celebrates its dance and musical heritage, Sri Lanka has moved away from its cultural roots which were rich in music and drama. Hence, activities which revolve around dance, drama and music, have also suffered as a result of this.

She felt that the Government, schools and parents of the next generation of creative visionaries, should encourage and revive Sri Lanka’s rich artistic heritage whilst also being open to influences other cultures, thereby giving everyone, not just the disabled, a voice to express their views, opinions and aspirations, thereby creating a culture where everyone can advocate their own vision and mission.

Living up to its name

Sunethra was shocked when she learned that most people, including most of her staff, thought that the Sunera Foundation is a derivation of her own name. She is quick to point out that “Sunera” in fact, has nothing to do with her name, but is actually, the Sanskrit word for a Himalayan mountain which depicts, strength, security and stability. The fact that it sounds so much like her name is just a happy coincidence!

Sunera strives to live up to its name, whatever the circumstances, and it would be fair to say that Sunethra Bandaranaike has done enough to ensure that its work continues well into the future. Sunera is much more than her legacy, it is her contribution towards a culturally rich and accepting Sri Lanka .