National reconciliation thro’ art and culture

Interviewed by Dushyantha Madugalle

Reconciliation requires changes of heart and spirit, as well as social and economic change. It requires symbolic as well as practical action.
- Malcolm Fraser

The practice of peace and reconciliation is one of the most vital and artistic of human actions -Nhat Hanh

Reconciliation should be accompanied by justice, otherwise it will not last. While we all hope for peace it shouldn’t be peace at any cost but peace based on principle, on justice.
-Corazon Aquino

Following a 30 years of protracted terrorism, it is time that the people of diverse ethnicities should enjoy the sheer cultural and artistic diversity in Sri Lanka. The process of national integration and reconciliation should be in harmony with revival and codification of the diverse forms of arts, religious and cultural practices unique to Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim communities and integration of them into the rich cultural mosaic of the nation.

Vice Chancellor, University of Visual and Performing Arts, Prof. Jayasena Kottegoda

One such successful initiative that University of Visual and Performing Arts has taken in this direction is the workshops on Arts and culture conducted at the Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies (SVIAS), Eastern University and Ramanathan Academy of Fine Arts of University of Jaffna.

Excerpts of an interview with the Vice Chancellor of the University of Visual and Performing Arts, Prof. Jayasena Kottegoda who is the brainchild of the concept.

Question: A novel concept in achieving national reconciliation has recently been realised at the University level with the initiative of the University of Visual and Performing Arts. How would you look at successfully conducted program?

Answer: I have discussed this concept with President Mahinda Rajapaksa when he visited the Department of Education. Over the past 30 years people of all ethnicities, Sinhalese, Muslims and Tamils have suffered immensely due to terrorism. We are, now, stepping onto a path of peace and in the process of identifying differences, weaknesses among people of diverse ethnicities and act in ironing out those differences as fully-fledged citizens of the land.

It is obvious from what I gathered from my studies that there are co-relations, similarities among Sinhalese, Muslims and Tamils. All religions of the world strive to make people good citizens. Each religion has an identity of its own in the similar way languages have their identity in communication. Learning religions and diverse cultures will promote better understanding and respect for different religions and cultures. It will eventually inculcate a culture of reconciliation and thereby, promote national reconciliation. I believe the ideal space for such an exercise is the university.

Therefore, for this program, I have selected four universities, namely, Ramanathan Academy of Fine Arts of University of Jaffna, the Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies (SVIAS), Eastern University in Batticaloa, South Eastern University and the University of Visual and Performing Arts.

I thought that a program, which encourages encountering diverse cultures and study of those arts and culture and at the end produces a common cultural show on a common stage, would promote national reconciliation.

Q: What was the nature of the cultural program that you carried out at the Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies (SVIAS), Eastern University in Batticaloa?

A: The focused areas of the programme were visual arts, vocal and instrumental music (differ styles of singing and techniques in playing instruments of music) and different dancing styles. Workshops on these subjects were conducted by the teachers of the University of Visual and Performing Arts.

Students, who study, for instance, Carnatic music at the Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies (SVIAS), would conduct a workshop on Carnatic music, together with their teachers for students and teachers from the University of Visual and Performing Arts, thus, learning different arts, music and dancing styles from one another.

It is a process of cross fertilisation which eventually broaden students’ and teachers’ understanding and knowledge of diverse traditions of arts and of diverse cultures. So, they learn about their cultures and would learn to respect one another’s cultures and diverse forms of arts. In the process, we discover similarities among different cultures. It was base on these similarities that we conducted the common cultural show at the conclusion of the programme. Although I could not attend the cultural show, I gathered it received a very enthusiastic response from the students and teachers alike.

The focus of the workshops was on the distinctive art forms and cultural practices in and around Batticaloa. For instance, some of the cultural practices unique to the Muslim community in the East have been documented and video and audio records were made on unique dancing styles with the participation of traditional practitioners in the craft. The knowledge, thus gained, has been incorporated into the syllabi of the University of Visual and Performing Arts. What we have demonstrated through the program is that we respect these diverse art forms and cultural practices.

Q: What were the principal objectives of the workshops other than expanding the body of knowledge on these distinctive art forms and cultural practices unique to the East in general and Batticaloa in particular?

A: The principal objective of the program was to promote harmony, understanding and national integration and national reconciliation through exchange programs among the people of diverse ethnicities, religions and those who belong to different cultures. One of our objectives was to infuse the idea of national integration and reconciliation into the minds of the younger generation.

What has actually happened following the program was that life-long relationships were formed among the students and teachers and emotional bonds were made. When we departed, it was obvious that Tami and Muslim students highly appreciated the students and teachers from the University of Visual and Performing Arts for their efforts to appreciate and understand art forms and cultural practices unique to the Tamil and Muslim communities. It seemed that they realised the fact that Sinhala community appreciate the unique artistic and cultural legacy of the Tamils and Muslims.

Q: A seminar on the ‘University’s role in national integration’ was recently conducted at the Jaffna University. How would the seminar which you envisaged, contribute towards national integration?

A: For the first time, I presented my concept for such a program to President Mahinda Rajapaksa when I met him at the Department of Education. Thereafter, the University Grants Commission also carried out some programs of this nature. The UGC launched its programs before we launched our program. I attended the program conducted by the UGC.

I could remember we conducted a program with Prof. Maunaguru who has mastered Sinhala and Tamil art forms and cultural practices. He has identified many similarities between Sinhala and Tamil cultures. For instance, stick dance (Lee-Keli) is a popular folk dance among Sinhalese. There is a similar style of folk dance among Tamil and Muslim communities. In Tamil community, stick dance is known as Kollatam while it is known as Polladi among Muslims.

We have made a piece of choreography integrating three cultures and presented it at the final show. Though there was a slight difference in the background music which accompanied the piece, there was the spirit of national integration in the fusion of three traditions. The same concept was adapted in making a piece of instrumental music fusing music instruments belonging to three cultures.

For instance, we used instruments such as Tavil and Udukku (similar to Udakki in Sinhala culture) and different drums belonging to Up-Country and Low- Country dancing traditions such as Davul, Tammatam. In Sinhalese dancing tradition, there are many terms such as Kastiram, Thirumaru , Adau, Talam, Vandamanam, Kombu and Gejji are Tamil terms. Some terms for parts of the traditional costume for a dancer such as Nettimale, Pullude, Kaimetta are Tamil. The pantheon of gods is almost similar between Sinhalese and Tamil cultures. Stressing on such similarities and convincing the youth of close nexus between three cultures would, in the long run, help promote national integration and reconciliation.

Q: Do you believe that through such programs an emotional bond can be created among different cultures and ethnicities?

A: In fact, creating such an emotional bond was the very purpose of the programmes. When people identified unique characteristics among diverse cultures and their co-relations with one another, they tend to form emotional bonds with one another with mutual respect and appreciating for their cultures, languages and religions. It would also create kinship with one another. It promotes intra-cultural, intra-religious understanding. Ultimately, it will result in the realisation of the fact that they are culturally and sometimes linguistically relate to one another. So the misunderstandings and some hang-ups would eventually be wiped out.

Suggestions

Q: What are your suggestions for the use of Visual and Performing Arts in achieving long term social cohesion at national level?

A: There are a lot of suggestions for achieving that objective. For instance, I have already requested the Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies (SVIAS) in the Eastern University to commence Courses of Studies on Sinhalese folk song and Sinhalese folk dance. We have already included Carnatic Music and Bharata Natyam in syllabi of the University of Visual and Performing Arts. We have introduced some aspects of Muslim culture to Course of Studies at the University.

I made the same suggestion for the Ramanathan Academy of Fine Arts of University of Jaffna to commence Courses of Studies on Sinhalese folk songs and Sinhalese folk dances.

I also suggested them to commence exchange programs and I would assign teachers from the University of Visual and Performing Arts for these courses.

A group of students from the Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies (SVIAS) in the Eastern University and the Ramanathan Academy of Fine Arts of University of Jaffna would visit University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo.

For instance, there are no teachers to teach Sinhalese folk music in the Jaffna University or at the Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies in the Eastern University. For some specific period, teachers at the University can be released to teach for such Courses of Studies at the Jaffna and in the Eastern University. We can offer exchange programmes for students. There are students who follow post-graduate programmes. Even the teachers at the Ramanathan Academy of Fine Arts of University of Jaffna, have to fly to India to read for their postgraduate degrees.

This situation will soon be changed since we have commenced Postgraduate studies at the University of Visual and Performing Arts and students have enrolled in MA and PhD programs. The second program will be conducted at the Ramanathan Academy of Fine Arts of University of Jaffna and the final program will be conducted at the South Eastern University. At the end of the three programmes, a cultural show will be held with the participation of the students and the teachers of the three Universities at Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Performing Arts Theatre.

Exhibition

An exhibition will also be held parallel with the cultural show. The show will be held with the participation of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the officials of the Ministry of Education. I have also designed a journal and invited teachers from the three universities to contribute academic articles to the journal. I will also make my contribution to the journal. It will be a journal which would explore the co-relationships among three communities, Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims in the spheres of arts and culture. The journal would further cement the co-relations among the communities.

Q: What are the capabilities and resources that the University of Visual and Performing Arts possess in launching such a program?

A: We have all the expertise and resources at our disposal to launch such a program. For instance, University possesses teachers who are veterans in their chosen fields of studies.

Q: How would you describe the past, present and the future progress of the University of Visual and Performing Arts?

A: I was a student of the University. And I have firsthand experience of enduring hardships as a student even without having back facilities such as spacious class rooms and instruments of music.

We had classes under trees and in garages. When I was the Dean of Dancing, I commenced the development activities. I became the first Dean and I was instrumental in designing a building complex for the university with state-of-the-art Theatre and digital recording studio with audio-video recording facilities.

IRQE project provided the theatre with all the equipment such as lighting system, sounds and even curtains. When I assumed duties as the Vice Chancellor, then I increased the budgetary allocation from 300 million rupees to 870 million and substantially expanded the development of physical facilities for other departments.

At present, the University has provided hostel facilities for students in 18 houses and the University pays monthly rents for those houses. Two hostels to accommodate 400 students will be constructed at Rajagiriya and Dehiwala. The construction of the hostels will be completed by the end of the year. A building has been designed for the Faculty of Visual Arts.

Programs such as scholarship schemes for teachers have been designed to develop the human resources and a grant has been set up to award scholarships for teachers to read for their Masters and PhDs. Compared with other universities, the University of Visual and Performing Arts has developed rapidly within a short span of time.

Aesthetic subjects

Q: Majority of the people still entertain the view that aesthetic subjects have not been developed into fully-fledged disciplines which warrant them to be taught and to be studies at University level?

A: It is a view, by and large, born out of gross ignorance of the aesthetic subjects and because of sanctioned ignorance.

One should jump into the sea to experience its depth and it is only a person who is well versed on a subject to know the depth of it. Music and dancing do not confined to a mere singing a song or presenting a dance. There is a literature of rituals associated with classical dancing. My first publication was ‘Literature of Low Country rituals’. So, there is a rich literature associated with rituals which are of same standard as the classical literary productions.

In fact, Yaga (systems of rituals) are well-crafted and scientifically designed regime of treatment for psychiatric disorders. Once I was presented with Presidential award for revealing the scientific basis of system of rituals ( Yaga Paddathi).