'Bringing cultures together is the best job'

Country Director of British Council, Sri Lanka

by Rikaza Hassan

"I see conflict as a challenge rather than a drawback. I don't let it hold me back. I don't like things to be handed to me on a plate. I like the challenge that developing countries present," is Gill's response to her placement in conflict ridden countries throughout her tenure at the British Council. "May be it's my karma ," she laughs.

Gill Westaway is the recently appointed Country Director of the British Council, Sri Lanka. Having worked for the British Council for two dozen years, she has found herself placed in Latin America, Africa, South and South East Asia, rising from a mere teacher of the English language to Country Director of Philippines and now Sri Lanka.

Congenial rapport

And what exactly has led Gill to continue her congenial rapport with the British Council for such a long period of time? "It represents the best job that I can do. It's all about people, about bringing cultures together. It makes me feel very humble and very powerful at the same time. Humble because I'm just one person and powerful because if done well, I would be making a significant difference as to how people think, especially the youth."

Westaway probably made her first step into her future style of life at the age of fourteen during an exchange visit. "I always loved foreign languages and was interested in living in other people's countries. I was living with a French family and it was tough at the time. They kept asking me whether 'oui' is the only word I knew." Gill who made a similar trip to Germany the next year would later find herself reading both French and German at university.

"The obvious choice open to me was to become a teacher, and hence I kicked against that." Nevertheless, when she was sent to France as an assistant teacher as part of her training, she found herself relishing the experience. "I enjoyed finding ways of motivating them. I used Beatles songs, movies and the kids loved my lessons."

Back in the UK, her traveller's instincts kept calling out to her. "I wanted a job that enabled me to travel and not with a backpack on my back. I wanted a proper job, to travel and live in a proper fashion." Having qualified as an English Language teacher, Westaway went on to make Germany her residence of choice for a number of years.

Soon it was Latin America that called out to her and Westaway began working in Argentina at the time of the military junta, "the time of the disappeared." "I had friends whose friends had disappeared." Nevertheless she liked it so much that in 1982 she took up a job in Bogota, working for the British Council.

"I received a training award, a scholarship to study my Master's degree and I decided to stay on as a way of saying thank you." Gill Westaway it would seem is still saying thank you.

One of Gill Westaway's best achievements is perhaps her contribution in developing the now internationally renown IELTS examination. Four years in the making, it saw Gill conduct research at the Redding University, evaluating and improving the then present examination, ELTS, persuading people to work with the British Council rather than go for other available options. The IELTS has since met with success, "beyond our wildest dreams."

The English language is very important according to Westaway. "Like it or not, it is the global language and you can't do without it. Certain countries including Sri Lanka have made education policies that neglected English in the past, but are now going back to English." She adds further, "just because you speak English, it doesn't affect your national identity. Nationalism is not speaking English."

As for activities of the local British Council, she speaks of the immensely successful, UNICEF funded, TELT (Teaching English Language Teachers) programme run together with the Ministry of Education, the STEPS project which focuses on developing the language skills of civil servants in the North East, the TKT (Teaching Knowledge Test) teacher training programme and the MCSP (Military Communication Skills Project) where the Sri Lanka military is supported in bettering their communication skills to attend overseas training and support peace and conflict resolution. The MCSP also supports the learning of Tamil in the military.

Building relationships

Apart from teaching the English Language to Sri Lankans of all ages "at reasonable fees," the British Council is "about building relationships at the people level between the UK and Sri Lanka, to show Sri Lankans what the UK has to offer them.

A lot of locals have had contact there, but a lot of Sri Lankans still have a traditional view of it. Our goal is to reach out to the young people, to show them the dynamic, creative, innovative side of the UK."

Gill Westaway is an extensively travelled individual. How does this modern voyager of sorts feel about her love of travel? "It's a bit like a drug. It's exhilarating, the new experiences, the new people, the new environment. There are so many challenges in a new country, it makes me feel excited." Stepping in to a new country for the first time has her feeling "curious and stimulated."

Is there a country that she would love to add to her list of 'been there'? "I'd like to go to Burma/Myanmar. It's very beautiful, very caught in the past. I'd like to see it before it changes."

As for Sri Lanka, she has thus far been to Kandy, Dambulla and Wadduwa. For Christmas, "I want to go to the southern coast up to Yala and the North East."

Westaway who at present is fluent in seven languages is keen on learning Sinhala as well. Though so far she has only picked up 'Aiyo', she wants to get a private tutor. She also likes the city of Colombo. "It's not too big, the traffic compared to some other cities is not bad and the climate is nice except for the rain." Her current favourite local dish is egg hoppers with fish curry.

Gill Westaway is also said to love reading, music and film and has exciting events planned for the future. "We plan to sponsor the Gold Literary Arts Festival in January in Galle where a lot of international writers will be coming down. We're hoping to get the Booker prize winner, Desai.

There is also the visit of a black British poet with rastafari hair, who recites poetry in a rap style."

The new Country Director of the British Council Sri Lanka should indeed make an exciting and valuable addition to the literary community of Sri Lanka.

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