What is our identity?

By Cheranka Mendis

Sri Lanka is a complex society with many different races, religions and ethnicities packed together. Thirty years of civil unrest have made Sri Lankans question their identities. ‘What makes us Sri Lankan? What defines us?’ seem to be questions that govern most citizens today.

In a quest to find an answer to these and to calm down and let the frustrated artistes that live within every Sri Lankan enjoy their time, Colomboscope 2013 – a celebration of art and literature – will unravel this weekend at the Park Street Mews Warehouses in Colombo.

Curated by Ashok Ferrey and organised by the Goethe Institute and British Council in partnership with title sponsor, Standard Chartered Bank, Colomboscope is an event for Sri Lankans to celebrate their differences, share their art, music and dance, and to nourish the soul with literature.

Speaking to the Daily FT with just a day to go for the festival, Ferrey highlighted the importance of a festival that infuses all forms of creativity. “There is a question of identity in Sri Lanka – how do we define ourselves 30 years after civil war? One good way of examining ourselves is to look at our art – i.e. dance, music, literature, etc., which affirm who we are and give us an understanding of what this mysterious Sri Lankan identity is.”

Noting that the idea of Colomboscope came from Goethe Institute who approached Ferrey just after Christmas, he stated that the festival will have three international authors – German journalist, Political Theorist and Writer Caroline Emcke, Author of ‘Saraswathi Park’ Anjali Joseph, Poet and Artist Sean Borodale along with a host of well-known writers, poets, artists, and academics from Sri Lanka, the festival will be two days of exciting talks and discussions.

Even though he just had 10 weeks to put together a festival, Ferrey claims he is having fun organising this multifaceted affair. “Because it was at such short notice we could not invite hugely world famous people as they are booked six months ahead,” he acknowledged. “Then I thought I’ll go in the other direction and have a festival we Sri Lankans would like to go to. I very cunningly picked topics which I personally would be interested in.”

Contemporary discussions

The festival has an interesting -up of events. The first event for Saturday, ‘The Kaduwa’ will look at the use of English, Singlish (Sinhala English) and Tinglish (Tamil English) in the society and how far the country could go in indigenising the English language.

“Everyone in Sri Lanka has an opinion on what the ‘Kaduwa’ is – if it’s a good thing or a bad thing and the views are evenly divided,” the Curator explained. “It is something we need to talk about, because on one hand there are linguistic experts saying you should go in that direction because that is how normal people speak here and they cannot be expected to speak like the queen, there are others who is in the view that going in that direction is making yet another underclass of people who do not speak proper English.”

So what is the answer? Peradeniya University Head of English Sumathy Sivamohan, popular bilingual writer Malinda Seneviratne, and former Gratian judge and academic Shermal Wijewaredene will explore the topic moderated by Hi! Magazine Editor Shyamalee Tudawe.

Yet another timely topic, ‘My life in robes,’ will explore how wearing robes affects the lifestyle of the wearer, be it a nun, a priest, a bhikkuni, or a Muslim woman. Having being turned down by almost 15 people of all religions, Ferrey has managed to put together a panel consisting of Bhikkuni Kusuma, an unafraid and eloquent religious leader, Rev. Sr. Rose Fernando from Negombo, and an icon of Muslim women’s world Jezima Ismail. An all-woman panel, the session will be moderated by Jill Mcdonald.

Recovering from war, it is perhaps essential to know ‘Who counted the bodies?’ To do with war reportage, the panel consisting of Army Spokesperson Brg. Ruwan Wanigasuriya, a Tamil General in the Sri Lankan Army, and war reporter Caroline Emcke will host questions and engage in a discussion to explain where the statistics and the correct news comes from. This will be moderated by Savithri Rodrigo.

An alternative lifestyle panel is also part of the event calendar. “Sri Lankans are hugely hypocritical about this. Even though the country is very sophisticated and we do practice the line ‘live and let live,’ if and when people begin to talk about their alterative lives, that is when the problems start,” he said.

Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, Koluu, Brandon Ingram and Asoka Handagama who made the film ‘Flying with one Wing’ will be in conversation with Minoli Ratnayake on the said subject matter.

Literature for the soul

With the British Council flying down Anjali Joseph, she along with Sri Lankan novelist Yasmin Gooneratne (Sweet and Simple Kind), and Indian writer residing in Sri Lanka Sharmila Kandatha (Just the Facts, Madam-ji) will host the panel ‘In the Driving Seat,’ speaking about what moves them when it comes to writing – whether it is the characterisation, the dialogue, the humour, plot, or genre.

Four poets, three of Sri Lanka’s best – Anne Ranasinghe, Vivimarie VanderPoorten and Ramya Jirasinghe – with T.S. Eliott prize nominee Sean Borodale speak on creating identity or alienation through poetry. Moderated by Ferrey, who claims he is afraid of poetry, the session is titled ‘Songs from Across the Water’ and look at how words can create a feeling of belonging or longing.

“All the panels will have a bit of meat to them. It is a festival that will interest Sri Lankans and will seek answers to topics that are very much in need of being discussed,” Ferrey said.

Each foreign author will also have a session of their own – Sean Borodle in conversation with Smriti Daniel, and Anjali Joseph in conversation with Head of British Council Tony Riley, while Kaveri Lalchand will heist her own one woman show on Sunday.

There will also be three book launches at Colomboscope from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Representing the arts

In between the session there will be lunch time concerts, Ferrey said. “On Saturday Lakshman Joseph De Saram and his chamber music orchestra will play while on Sunday Eshantha Peiris will entertain music lovers on piano.”

On the two event days from 6 to 8 p.m. two films will be projected free of charge as well. Asoka Handagma’s ‘Flying with one Wing’ and Prasanna Vithanage’s ‘August Sun’ will be screened followed by a short question and answer session.

An art exhibition will be held at the Brick Warehouse curated by Annoushka Hempel followed by contemporary dance acts every evening by the likes of Senaka Abeyratne, Kapila Palliyawardena of nATANDA, Ruhanie Perera and Jake Oorloff. A free rock concert is also on agenda on the first day of the event by the band ‘Out of Time’.

Food for the soul

“Art for me is creation,” Ferrey said. “Sri Lankans are quite possibly the most creative race on earth, and I mean it. There is a frustrated artist in each one of us – that is where the problems start. People who criticise are those who ought to do what they are criticising about, but choosing not to do because of other commitments.”

Therefore the festival is food for the brain, and soul of the hidden artists, he acknowledged. “Come and enjoy two days of art and creation,” he said. “In doing so we hope you will be able to find yourself.”