Opening 9 minutes from my new documentary Indie Film Blogger Road Trip

"Racial" competition in Sri Lanka seems like a result of colonialism, so...

Now that the island is no longer a British colony, it would be wise for Sri Lankans to stop dividing themselves into Tamil or Sinhala "races" and to stop fighting each other for resources.

Let's back up. Let's review all of the ideas & new perspectives contained in the above sentence.

First, the majority of people in Sri Lanka at this point believe in the idea of race, or in race theory. What's race theory, & how does it play out in Sri Lanka? At some point along the way, the population of the island was convinced that if you spoke a different language, that meant you were a completely different kind of human being. So, if you spoke Tamil, you belong to the Tamil "race" & if you spoke Sinhala, you belong to the Sinhala "race". This is fiction, yet Sri Lankans bought it, & invested heavily into this idea, so much so that they were willing to harras the people of the other "race" - which is pretty much the main element in the entire history of post-colonial Sri Lanka - the Sinhalese & the Tamils refusing to acknowledge their common humanity, refusing to give up the British idea of race that they lived under for a couple of hundred years as a colony, refusing to move forward as a united island, & maintaining an antagonistic relationship with the other.

In the belief of race lies the seed for Black July, and the on-going, 20-plus year long war between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE.

This could go on forever. No matter who wins the war this year, or next year, or in the next ten years, if Sri Lankans continue to believe in race theory, the war will be back.

The way out is to recognize that, most likely, for purposes of accumulating power, either the British or other elites - native elites - decided to sell the people on the idea that Tamil speakers and Sinhala speakers are two very different kinds of humans, and that the other is evil and whatever group one belonged to was good, and that victory over the other in all areas of life is a good thing. This is a receipe for eternal violence & destruction because, as humans, specially as humans who have lived in the same island for hundreds of years, there are no significant differences between the Sinhalese and the Tamils, and the violence and competition between the two will not end until Sri Lanka gives up the belief in race theory or belief in the concept of race.

If Sri Lankans give up their belief in race theory, what will we have there? We'll have humans, who belong to one country, who speak one or more languages, who believe in a couple of different religions or no religion at all. And, if a significant minority or the majority of these people decide that they want to create a corruption free, effective government, and want to develop the private sector in commerce, etc., they would be able to do so as dozens of other countries in this world have done & they will be able to transform the country from a place that people want to get out of to a place that the rest of the world looks forward to visiting.

In order for Sri Lanka to recover from the post-colonial nightmare they are in now, the people will have to give up the easy & false comfort that comes with believing in a lie, they will have to give up the tribal-esque concept of race and embrace their own, and their fellow country men & women's, humanity. The choice is between choosing to uphold an evil vision of separation which includes destruction to those who are outside of that vision or identity, or choosing to create a real nation - where all who live in it are the same kind of being - human, & are equal. Choosing the second options is the right way to go; the useful, positive, in favor of peace & development way to go. After hundreds of years of belief in race theory, giving it up for a united country will not be easy to do, but if anyone can do it, Sri Lankans can.

- Sujewa

Good article - Ancient Ethnic Hatreds in Sri Lanka, and other myths

This article is pretty good; or looks at the conflict in Sri Lanka in a way that I find to be true. Read it here.

- Sujewa

Lots of great ideas & suggestions in this Gallup doc

It's a report called Global Migration Patterns and Job Creation, every current & future leader of Sri Lanka & every other place for that matter should check it out. #1 item, according to the article, necessary for increasing the GDP of a nation is law & order. Read the long article here.

- Sujewa

2008 is New Sri Lanka Year 0 in your head OR how can speaking a different language make you a completely different type of person?

This post may not make much sense to people living in Sri Lanka, at the moment, most likely. But for everyone else, I will explain. Good luck following.

1. All humans on Earth are the same kind of animal

2. All major divisions among humans on Earth are primarily political or are used for the purpose of organizing, governing, motivating or discouraging people in relation to projects created by leaders or other elites for the purpose of nation building, common welfare, etc.

3. The individual is the most valuable human unit; all other units - families, villages, cities, nations are collections of various sizes consisting of individuals. Nothing in human life is possible without individual human beings.

4. Individual Sri Lankans, being human, whether they speak one language or another, whether they believe in one faith or another, are ultimately and above all the same type of animal or being; human. Thus, the human-ness of a Sri Lankan individual is more important than the person belonging to the Sinhala ethnic group, the Tamil ethnic group, the Hindu faith, the Budhist faith, the Christian or Muslim faiths, etc.

5. What is a Sri Lankan? A Sri Lankan is a person who was born in Sri Lanka, or immigrated to & lived for a significant amount of time in Sri Lanka, and in some cases children born to people from Sri Lanka - even if the children were born in other countries.

6. Earth is a planet with highly developed countries. Countries where individualist democracy, healthy & competitive economies, individual rights & protections exist & thrive.

7. Due to choices made by generations & individuals who may no longer be alive, Sri Lanka, at present, is not a highly developed country.

8. Judging by accomplishments of expatriate Sri Lankans in well developed countries, it is now or will very soon be possible for Sri Lankans in Sri Lanka to make up for centuries of dysfunctionality & corruption and develop Sri Lanka into a well developed nation, given the right conditions; primarily assistance with law & order, and economic development.

9. A crucial idea necessary for rapid & useful development of Sri Lanka is the full embrace of the positive human nature of all humans on Earth by Sri Lankans OR don't get trapped by labels - take good ideas from any country, any time period, any culture and adapt them for necessary use.

10. It is motivated & diverse individuals who add value to a nation; encourage free development as an individual while or as much as conformity to the community/nation is encouraged. Good & useful citizens are a moderate balance between the positive needs & dreams of the individual & the positive needs & aspirations of the nation.

11. Do not be a slave to a certain time period or cultural artifacts or habits. Utilitarianism & embrace of all positive human ideas & qualities, & diversity, are very useful in this current time of battle for survival & development.

12. 2008 is Year 0 (Zero) of the New, United, Awoken, Engaged, Competitive, Positive, Humane Sri Lanka. Bonds of evil from thousands of years are now broken. The qualities of the New Sri Lanka will first take hold primarily in the minds of those who live outside the boundaries of Sri Lanka; and then through them the ideas will take hold, and grow, in Sri Lanka. Ultimately the entire island will become a positive & united & humane island & nation.

13. In order to accurately sift through & process the evil attached to Sri Lanka, only those individuals who have knowingly, and willingly, and with clear/unclouded minds committed the evil acts should be held responsible; not their families, not their coreligionists, and not other members of their ethnic group. The individual being held responsible for their own actions is essential for the development of New Sri Lanka.

14. Now, immediately and slowly going into the near future, and beyond, Sri Lanka will begin to save itself through the effort of positive Sri Lankans (people who agree with the 13 points listed above) and their friends/friends of Sri Lanka. In time, within our lifetime, Sri Lanka will become a productive & highly developed, multi-ethnic, individualist capitalist nation with a human rights record above that of any other nation on the planet (yes, a 100% reversal on that aspect, compared to the recent past). This victorious condition for the island has been slowly, very slowly, in the works for generations - sometimes nearly invisibly. Now, however, the sharp turn towards the final destination of humane glory & plentifulness has been taken; and us arriving at the destination is now guaranteed - provided that the goal is firmly held in the mind & work necessary to bring it about is carefully, patiently, lovingly performed. The New Sri Lanka is now born, and it will soon come into full view, and it will last for thousands of years.

Peace, unity, & prosperity are at hand.

The new voyage in the new direction in the new time starts now, 2008, Year 0 of the New Sri Lanka.

I have seen this clearly.

- Sujewa Ekanayake
February 28, 2008

A Country Study: Sri Lanka

At the Library of Congress.

Map of Sri Lanka

Intro to Sri Lanka at CIA's World Factbook

Check out the page here.

- Sujewa

Sigiriya Video Clips From YouTube post

Check it out here at my other blog DIY Filmmaker.

- Sujewa