Week 15-17: November 9th Updates and Politics

I apologize for how late this is. I think Blog posts are slightly overwhelming, so I just don't do it that often. I will try to increase the frequency and decrease the content.  This will be the second to last loooooong post like this.   As always, leave comments, thoughts, questions, disagreements please.  Part of the reason this one is late is because I had to go back and edit the last blog post after deleting a huge chunk of it.  

Trigger warning: Photo of bloodied foot from injury, and chipped tooth

This is in Sigiriya at a Hotel called Water Gardens that we performed at 

Politics Update: 

Being Sinhala in a Post Civil War society

So recently, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was named prime minister (essentially second in command to the president) by current president Maithripala Sirisena, the person who was in that position Ranil Wickremasinghe was only made aware of this after the change when it was broadcasted on live television.  This has led to protests, and a series of emails from Harvard SOS warning to "keep a low Profile." (haha LULLS)
The thing is, Rajapakse is the main person who ended the Civil War, and many view his return to power as a good thing. I don't know how to feel about him. The war was finally ended, but the method was brutal, and has left many people distrusting.   Now, to be fair people don't trust the government because it's generally corrupt and has a history of making political rivals disappear and the lining their own pockets. The  end of the civil war brought stability to the region allowing the return of tourism etc. 

To read up on the recent events on who is Rajapakse <-- Click there its by the Guardian. 

to See timeline of events  https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/mahinda-rajapaksa

http://groundviews.org/2018/10/27/paradise-lost-preliminary-notes-on-a-constitutional-coup/

You can google the Rest. (Honestly I have a feeling most people will skip over this part of the page anyways).


I find myself conflicted.  I am Sinhala, however being black american I know what it means to fear the government, and institutions of power. 

DISCLAIMER: 
I am largely writing this as an argument towards other Sinhala, especially Sinhala nationalist. I wrote this with the imagination, that these are all the things I want to say to my Sinhala family, but I am afraid would cause discord, or face a lot of resistance.And is written as if I am talking to them, and expecting the counter arguments. 

 I am also very privileged and maybe I shouldn't view Sri Lanka nor Judge it with my western lenses. BUT I have an opinion about everything, and jury is still out on this. Choosing to stick to a personal code of ethics aka Morals, does come with a certain privilege, however Not using privilege to bring awareness to an issue when you could be an ally AND OR choosing to stay silent in the face of questionable morality/injustice is equally just as Privileged. I am just trying to become more informed, and engage in dialogue. 

Being Sinhala & Observations

 Every one wants to know if I'm sinhala. When people know I'm sinhala, often other Sinhala people will feel comfortable talking and saying whatever. I sometimes can't put my finger on it but sometimes I feel like they way some people have talked about Tamils, as if all of them were in the LTTE or how overly proud to be Sinhala they is unsettling.

 Some crucial facts about the civil war. (LTTE is a link you can click)

"...The LTTE were estimated to be responsible for 3,700 to 4,100 civilian deaths in over 200 separate attacks "
"4000 to 5000 Tamil civilians were killed in large scale massacres, with a total [Tamil] civilian[s] death of around 40,000."

"Sri Lankan government revealed that 9,000 people were killed in the final months of the war, but it did not differentiate between LTTE cadres and civilians.^[3] The UN, based on credible witness evidence from aid agencies and civilians evacuated from the Safe Zone by sea, estimated that 6,500 civilians were killed "

~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Sri_Lankan_Civil_War

More Tamils were killed in the Riots as a result of Retaliation, than total people killed by LTTE.  

The reason all of this matters is because Ranil Wickremasinghe (recently disposed)  is corrept but less extreme of a nationalist and worked diligently on a cease fire during the war, and he has been replaced by Rajapakse.  

 I think that some of what Rajapaske did to end the war was necessary, but there was already a ceasefire in place, and serious war crimes happened against Tamil Civilians in the last few weeks of the war and many  Human Rights  violations.  The prime minister is second in command to the president, and has significantly more power then the VP in the US.  My opinion of him is heavily based on the moral conflict of "do the ends justify the means?"

I think about it like this; Was the use of the Hiroshema and Nagasaki Bomb was good? Dropping bombs to win a war but killing children, and leveling the place for decades to come. It Forced Japan to stop fighting, but at what cost?  If I think what president Truman did was justified then I have to give that same courtesy to Rajapakse. Hindsight is 20/20 and  understanding the weight of "By ANY means necessary" is something I'm not sure I agree with, and I'm still deciding. 

I know I don't agree with the Nagasaki and Hiroshema bomb.  I know I don't think Rajapakse should be back.  

 WW2 feels like forever ago, and perhaps not enough time has passed for Sri Lanka to move on from the war, but if Feeding the hate and extremism keeps Rajapakse in power, do you really think he will be a true conduit and or Advocate for Piece? I think the Sri Lankan government has taken steps to try to reconcile, and have even been opening up Committees to investigate the disappearances, and war crimes.  But there is still a long way to go. 

 Again I understand that some of what Rajapaksa did to end the War was NECESSARY. He did do a good job ending the war,  I don't dispute that,  but that doesn't mean it wasn't atrocious or that many Tamil civilians weren't killed.  That doesn't mean I support his methods of ending the war, because I don't.  I understand where he is coming from, that doesn't mean I think he is right.  I understand why Truman dropped the bomb, but I still think it's wrong, and I still think he should've had to answer for his use of excessive force.  

Rajapakse is also a very Corrupt man.  Including many cases of suspected embezzlement, and also collusion with China, and a series of other things. He has tried to make his power lasting, and thus I say his shear thirst for power makes him a threat to democracy. There were journalists and University students and Sinhala disappearances as well under Rajapaksa. He also withheld tsunami aid from Jaffna areas in 2004, it was a power move, and  Morally I think it's horrible.  He almost didn't give power to Sirisena when he won. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahinda_Rajapaksa

^ Read about him. He literally got rid of term limits for presidents so that he could continue running indefinitely.

I'm not sure to what extent, (I'm still learning) but I know that there was systematic discrimination against Tamils before the war, and there continues to be oppression. There is anti-tamil rhetoric that is commonplace as a result of distrust post war. I I think the way some Sinhala people see it is that  they indirectly blame Tamils as a whole for allowing the LTTE to exist, forgetting that they (other tamils) were victims of the LTTE too. They don't think about the causes of the war, or how the systematic oppression of a group could lead to radicalization.  They don't think they, we, we are at fault. As Sinhala, we enjoy massive privilege, and that included oppressing the Tamil minority for our own benefit.  

The LTTE was a small faction of radical Tamils that destroyed their own people as well as attempting to destroy Sri Lanka, that doesn't mean all Tamils are responsible or should be held liable.   Also the LTTE formed due to the systematic oppression they faced.

Furthermore, unfortunately there isn't much of an economic effort being made for the main areas of conflict. In the North  they are still facing heavy economic disparities.  Many  Tamil farmers and fisherman lost everything and so far there is a very slow release of land back to them, as there is still government occupation as well. 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-10/sri-lankan-tamils-struggling-to-rebuild-in-post-war-jaffna/6843180

•  In ^^^ they also talk about the government dropping bombs on safe zones, and children watching their siblings being blown apart.  

(NOTE: Most Sri Lankans do agree that many Tamil civilians were victims of the war but they still will make a comment that gives a slightly different sentiment)   

I guess my big question is "What does the return of  Rajapakse mean in a Post Civil War peaceful Context?" 

 The sad thing is, I don't know if Ranil Wickramesinghe is much better. He recently swindled most of the country out of their pension using racketeering, and stock and bond interest rate manipulation. So that devastated many people financially and affected Sri Lanka as a whole. 

EDIT: I have edited this blog post, as it was brought to my attention that some of the things I said wrote made it sounded like I was trying to defend sinhala nationalism and make excuses for it. I also realize that it sounded as if I justified the Sinhala while I condemned the Tamils. I don't. In fact I feel the opposite.  I want to make it clear, Rajapakse is a WAR CRIMINAL.  And Ranil Wickramesinghe is a thief.  I am still navigating the new found privilege and learning about what advantages I have just from being Sinhala. I am still learning of the discrimination and systematic forms of oppression. 

Life update: 

October 8th(around then)

I've made friends.  Most of them are about my age, also Sri Lankan Diaspora people also here on a fellowship for various things. I have Sri Lankan friend's as well, but mostly through my family. I also have started to adjust to the food, the heat and the Mosquitoes. My Sinhala is still pretty bad though. And I received a giant cut (that realistically needed, but didn't get stitches for).   I was practicing my two handed sword fighting skills, and misstep. Thus the sword cut the ball of my ankle pretty deep. I think its sort of epic!

My Angampora Master immediately went to his herb garden to try and rectify the problem.  Then he rinsed it and put on this black liquid that was supposed to clean it. 

October 19th 

Also I went to Galle with some friends

While in Galle I also chipped my tooth on some bread.

To be fair I actually chipped my tooth when I was in 5th grade,  and was jumping on the bed Christmas eve. (This is a very condensed version of the story).The cap I had fell out while I was in Galle and luckily got resolved after a series of dentist appointments. 

End of October around 26th 

Angampora

So I was invited to go with some of the senior students to do a demonstration in  Sigiriya.  I had the privilege to act as the MC as well as participate. My first time I was so nervous, I made mistakes on one of the most basic lessons. These are pictures from that night. It was a beautiful hotel.  

My angampora Grand Master, and I standing dressed
in the traditional dress

Before the performance we all got to hang out. This is Grand master, master Thusita (Grand master's son) and Kevan, (Grandmaster's grandson) 

  I had so much fun. We took a van there, and in the van we sang the whole time. Samire (Sam- mi- Rah), and Ishare (Ish-Sha- Rah) were siting in the back with a small metal drum. They took turns playing it....The whole time. (It's a 4hour drive to Sigiriya). 
Basically I have 3 New friends. Ishare, Geethana, and Samire. It's hard to explain how the name is pronounced since English simply doesn't have that many letters.

Deepawali!!! Nov 6th

Deepawali  is a festival of lights in the Hindu Religion. It comes from when Rama was returning to his Kingdom from Sri Lanka and they lit the way back with lamps. (Overly simplified version).  It was a lot of fun with music and food and talking and hanging out!

So these are my Friends, most of them are expats and NO I will not try to name everyone, because that would take forever.

November 8th 
So later, like a few days later Thusita Master asks if I want to come and perform with them in Galle. Obviously I said YES! I practiced doing the 2nd Harambe with the staff, and the first basic ath-harambe on Wednesday. After practice, around 10pm, he's like
"Hey Eboni, do you like King Coconut"
"Yes. Why?"
"Shall we get some on the way home ?" 
YES!
So basically him, Ishare, and Samire and  I go to a university that has coconut trees.  Girls aren't allowed in after 9pm so Thusita Master and I wait in the car while the other 2 go and climb some trees and bring back 4 coconuts. We cracked them open on the side of the road and toasted. It was great. Just being apart of a group and the spur of the moment sort of thing.


Then the next day we went to Galle to perform. After performing we everyone went to visit my Aunty Sandamali and have tea. (See blog post 3 about Family in Galle).