Arts

Review: Rich insights into the shattered lives

July, life after 25 years:

By Ranga CHANDRARATHNE

The recently held exhibition of photographs by Anoma Rajakaruna, an independent film maker and photographer, offers a rich insight into the lives of people, especially of women who were caught up in the ‘Black July’ of 1983.

Going through the shattered human landscape, Anoma finds life goes on unabated despite the hardships underwent by people and that there is a hope. Dust settled down on the ‘Black July’ after 25 years, courageous ordinary folks rose from the debris of calamity like the phoenix rose from the ashes.

Anoma travels with her photo- essays covering lives of ordinary folks who had not only braved the catastrophe but also go on with life, with renewed hope. The essay ‘her story’ epitomises the plight of a woman whose sons disappeared during the riots. She, now, lives in the dry zone in Polonnaruwa, in a wattle and daub house with thatched shelter.

The photo-essay ‘His story’ depicts the life of a one-time writer whose writings were withered in the flames of ‘Black July’, has now taken to the profession of sculpturing. Anoma caught him sculpturing Buddha statues for a poor Buddhist temple in Nikaweratiya.

The essays “Their Story”, covers a wider scope of the landscape from an open air school (school with out shelter) in Kilinochchi to IDP in Adampan and ethnicity -engraved pots.

Among the striking photographs are those that depict the plight of internally displaced persons. Throughout the twenty five years of conflict, these hapless generation who were uprooted from their traditional habitat, have been moving from one refugee camp to another as if castles were herded from one meadow to another. The landscapes they passed by are not those of prosperity but of poverty and deprivation.

Here Anoma juxtapositions the devastated lives of women against arid landscape devoid of life and the tortured earth which looks up to the heaven in the hope of a drop of water.

Anoma also points out that hopes have not been dried out from these women’s lives. They cling to the last string of hope, for better days for their children and for them to see the dawn of peace.

A woman with a key hanging on to her neck, tells a story of deprivation.

All her possessions are now confined to a suitcase and she does not want to part with it. Anoma captured this woman’s image at Madhu. In another photo, Anoma codifies the lamentation of a mother over the loss of her daughter in a cemetery in the north and mothers in front of Human Rights Commission in Jaffna.

For mothers most prized possessions are their children and a lonely mother cries in a rather desolate cemetery. From putting together Anoma’s narration in pictures, one can figure out the damage that has not only caused to the properties but also to a generation of people in the North and the East. Damage is indeed immeasurable in terms of the long term repercussion of the protracted conflict.

Photographic exhibition

by Lakmal Welabada

‘Salu Mudaa Hara’, an exhibition of photography depicting Autumn in New Zealand by Dulip Samarasinghe, will be held at the Art Gallery, Colombo from August 8 to 10 from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm.

Mathra at NYC

Mathra 2008, a concert by the Kandyan dancing division of Lyceum International School, Nugegoda and its branches at Wattala, Panadura, Gampaha and Ratnapura, will be held on August 8, at the National Youth Centre, Maharagama.

Khemadasa’s Agni at Dharmaraja

Sri Lanka’s foremost musician Maestro Dr. Premasiri Khemadasa’s ‘Agni Opera’, the unique blend of East and West music, libretto written by well-known poet Eric Illayapparachchi, will be staged at Dharmaraja College Auditorium, Kandy on August 23rd at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to mark the 95th anniversary of the 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group which was formed in 1913.




 

Ratna to represent Sri Lanka at International Drama Festival

Veteran dramatist Ratna Pushpakumari will make a special presentation on “Sri Lankan Drama and Theatre” at the prestigious International Drama Festival to be held from July 24th to August 01, 2008 in Beirut.

The festival was organised by American University in Beirut in Lebanon.