Minutes but Worlds Apart

After having talked about it for a while, Stuart and went about exploring the Hantana range yesterday. We both have a beautiful view of it from our houses and it is there, beckoning me every time I catch a bus to and from campus. It is there to catch my eye when I'm on campus too, especially in the morning time when a mystical mist pulls through the pine forests in the hillside. No wonder the first Vice-Chancellor of Peradeniya, Sir Ivor Jennings, stated that the university has the most beautiful environment of any university in the world. I never really contemplated climbing Hantana though, until Stuart said he had gone a good bit up and that it was beautiful.

Apparantly there are a couple of different ways of climbing the Hantanas; from the south, that is Peradeniya and from the north, that is Kandy. Apparantly there are a few different Hantana peaks to climb too, or 7 as one student told me. We went off with no clear idea of which one to conquer, but Stuart, having looked into this, said it would be easiest to go up from the north. He had been told of a road going behind the government hospital and a good bit up the hill to a the Hantana tea estate. Getting started rather late, after first having been to campus, we opted for the easiest version of the easiest route. In other words: we went caught a threewheeler a good bit up into the hillside, and got off just before the estate. Only minutes away from Kandy it was as if we had entered another world. This is the upcountry, conceptually an eternity away from the bright lights of the (not so big) city, with Tamil women bent over tea bushes in just the same way I've seen them bent over tea bushes in so many other estates now. I had no idea I hardly had to leave my doorstep to see this. Must be one of Kandy's best kept secrets.

We strode on upwards, waving to yelling children playing cricket, and dodging overloaded buses going both directions. A stop for refreshing king coconuts and people we met en route, provided ample opportunities for practicing Tamil, something Stuart regretably is much better at than I, explaining why he still has an edge on me. Neither one of us had the necessary proficiency to ask for directions to reach the top, though, so we stuck to the main road figuring it was a good thing as long as it was climbing.

Reaching the National Training Institute (for what??!) we seemed to have come to the road's end, though. That is, we had passed underneath the peak we felt like climbing, and while the road went on we felt we should push for the summit. Acres of tea plants covered the lower part of the hillside, giving away to high grass and forest underneath the peak, and I suggested we should head up through the tea to see if there was a path from there. And so we did, while the sky was turning dark grey, mocking us for not having brought umbrellas. Looking back we enjoyed a spectacular view down a valley to the north.

It seemed a path led from the edge of tea fields into the neighboring forest. Feeling a bit Indiana Jonesy as we followed it in underneath the canopy, we came to a holt in an clear space, surrounded by boulders overgrown with roots, creepers dangling like curtains from the branches above us, adding to the mystical atmosphere of it all. It is the kind of place where one half expects to come across face-painted, bow-carrying men in loin cloths, chanting while performing ancient ritual sacrifices - at least if one has seen a few adventure movies too many. Or if you're a Lord of the Rings-fan; it would have felt very appropriate if Tom Bombadill had come skipping along, singing a song (Tom Bombadill doesn't ring a bell? Read the book you lazy bastard). It was as if the trees were consuming everything, luring us on into the midst of the laberynth, where we in turn would pay for our foolishness being unable to find our way back.

Enough of this mombojombo.

We eventually gave up on finding a way to the top, deciding instead to return another day to push for the summit. And we had no problems finding our way back, although the leaches did their very best to stop us, or maybe they were just wanting to catch a ride to town. Either way, I seem to be popular among the bloodsuckers these days. The walk back to Kandy took us just more than an hour. An hour away, but so far removed.

Speaking of different worlds. Stuart and I live 20 minutes apart, he staying with a Tamil family in the neigborhood immediately adjacent town on the western side of Peradeniya Road. It is an ethnically mixed neighborhood, with the quality of housing varying from simple shacks to large concrete structures. He has a difficult time going anywhere without being "interrogated" by curious neighbors who seem to have no sense of privacy. Compared to this I live in Posh Paradise. Well, the name says it all: "Pichaud Gardens", which I am sure, to most people sound exactly like "Too-pricy-for-you". The men who come to collect our garbage take the opportunity to do some begging, and we are targeted by all kinds of travelling salesmen. It is a neighborhood in which I am sure you do not receive permission to build unless the blueprints contain plans for servants' quarters. A nice place but boring as hell.

For some though, a street is just a street - always fraught with danger. A stray dog in our road had a litter of puppies recently. They have been all over the place the last few days, yupping excitedly as I walk by. But what is a dog's life worth? Coming down to Peradeniya Road today to catch a bus to town, one of the puppies was lying remarkably still in a pool of it's own blood, it's head smashed in. Disturbing to see, but not as disturbing as the one I saw in the side of the road, coming home from Batticaloa last week, still kicking but unable to move. People see, shrug and go on with their business. What can you do? A dog is just a dog. Strays don't last long anyway. These are the harsh realities of life we are so sheltered from in the Western world. A world apart.

/haakon/

Back from Bloody Batti...

I was going to write about my recent trip to Batticaloa. I would have been bitchin' about the baking sun, ghostly invisible mosquitos, a heat rash, a broken watch and a caput mobile phone. Before I got around to writing the entry, though... tada! it was Vesak.

Vesak, yet another religious holiday, is the celebration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death. Well.. maybe they celebrate the first two and commemorate the latter. Anyway, I decided that in stead of writing about Batti, I would bitch about being alone during the holiday. I was alone because all my local friends' numbers are stored on the phone, and only there. The phone not working, I could only hope to meet one of them by coincidence, roaming the streets.

So I made sure to visit the downtown Cargills supermarket every day- sometimes several times a day. Jill and I have a way of stumbling upon eachother in the checkout counter there. It must have happened.. what? ...at least 4 times. I have a difficult time walking past Cargills without going in, anyway. Maybe it is the western consumer in me, taking control. That my sense of persistance is reliant on a neverending supply of commodities. That the beer, biscuits and peanut butter I buy is in fact an umbelical cord reaching back to Europe. Who knows? I know I didn't meet Jill or anyone else in there, though.

But then, Monday night, after having elbowed my way through Vesak-crowds, admiring the Vesak-lanterns by the lakefront, for as long as I could take.... Hm.. Timeout! I should take time to explain for you non-Lankans that a big part of Vesak is the traditional decorating of homes and public spaces with lanterns of various colours, sizes and shapes, some of them with undeniable artistic qualities, others.. ehm.. a bit tacky. I don't know about this, but I suppose the lanterns symbolize enlightenment. Makes sense, doesn't it? On the lake promenade a number of stalls had been erected, each stall for a separate lantern, and here people had unleashed their creative energies, competing in creating the most mind-blowing piece. Some of the lanterns, equipped with electromotors, were rotating, donning flashing lights, reminding me of robots or UFOs from 70s sci-fi movies. Others included figures of buddhist monks and Buddhas, or models of the Dalada Maligawa (Kandy's "Temple of the Tooth" where a tooth relic from Buddha is said to be kept). Some lanterns were huge and bulky - others done with exquisit detail, showing off intricate carvings and fancy shadow play. Some lanterns were just... uhm... tacky.

Alright, back to the story: Monday night, after having elbowed my way through Vesak-crowds, admiring the lanterns by the lake, for as long as I could take, I felt an urge for pizza. Pizza Hut-pizza is by no means a favorite of mine, but in Kandy one can't be picky when it comes to pizzas... or italian food... or foreign food at all. (I have seen a resturant called Milano, although a dingy and deserted interior has prevented me from giving it a go). Standing outside Pizza Hut I pondered wether to take away or to go in. The, for Kandy, uncharacteristic crowds made me take refuge inside. Lucky decission, for who did I meet there but Re(sri)becca and her friend Jeremy! A happy coincidence, in deed. Just the company I needed. And as if that was not enough Gavin and his girlfriend Christine arrived a few minutes afterwards. Vesak was saved, but I would have to find a new approach to writing about it.

Wednesday things were beginning to return to normal for me. The mosquitobites were itching less, though marginally, and I had picked up my mobile after having it repaired, (the display needed to be changed) a job that was quickly and successfully accomplished and easily worth the 7000 Rupees I paid for it. I would now be able to call Stewart, my American fellow-anthropologist (not one of the Fulbrights) who had recently returned from a month in India. Before I got that far though, he found me. We usually go the same place for using the Internet. Considering how much time I have spent here lately, calling that one a coincidence may be stretching it.

Today I've been visiting his field. I went with him to a Hanuman ritual in a private home here in Kandy, involving regualar puja but also a rather intense possession part. The medium, a Tamil lady, stood on knives while she was garlanded with betel leaves, fed burning camphor and grabbed members of the chanting audience by their heads or arms, making them tremble with her divine presence, before pushing them away or having them pass out on her (or him, I suppose). I have seen possession rituals in the upcountry too, but never upclose like this. She even grabbed and roughed up my hair, an act I am not quite sure how to interpret. Am I in Hanuman's good book now? Or does he want me to get a hair cut?

If I had still wanted to write a bitchin' blog entry I could have complained about how the ritual seemed to go on forever after the possession part was over. There was the cleaning, redressing and viewing of and chanting to the god, that just never seemed to end, while lunchtime had long since passed. I am not in the mood to complain any more, though.

When the mosquitobites disappear I'll probably even remember Batti in a much more positive way.

/haakon/

Constitution Day News on Norway

I had completely forgotten until a discoloured Norwegian flag glared at me from the pages of The Island. Today is the 17th of May, Norway's Constitution Day. But the embassy wasn't about to let me forget, was it? 1 page in The Daily News, 1 & 1/2 in The Daily Mirror and 3 & 1/2 in The Island (I guess their going rate is the lowest), make for a total of 6 pages of paid advertisements in Sri Lankas English dailies, focused on Norway. So is this just a shameless publicity stunt aimed at winning over those with a sceptical stance towards Norwegian involvement in Sri Lanka's peace process? Some of the stories undoubtedly give that impression. The piece on Buddhism in Norway is one example. Another article makes sure to mention Norway's contributions to tsunami reconstruction in Sri Lanka. And in a personal piece the ambassador exposes the rationale for the Norwegian involvement. He dvelves on the importance of peace for small countries, but fails to mention how Norwegian governments for decades have been striving to build an international image of Norway as a peace-loving nation in order to gain more influence in international bodies such as the UN.

This is an excercise in brand building. And was it a coincidence that the national shield with an axe-wielding lion was included in the banner? It probably was, but it is a nice link anyway, isn't it?

Other stories give us in debth information about Norway's judicial system, the history of our royal family, statistics on immigrants in Norway, details on the involvement of women in Norwegian politics, the run-down on Norwegian trade and industry and there is even a piece on the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, famous for "A Doll's House" and a number of other internationally acclaimed plays. All this is interspersed with pictures of nature, architecture and people (is the most recent picture available of King Harold and Queen Sonja really 14 years old?) and congratulatory adds from Norwegian companies and Lankan companies with Norwegian connections.

Oh yes, a well-fostered Norwegian national pride swells further on May 17th.

As I am writing this children all over Norway are walking in parades and waving Norwegian flags while singing songs such as "Yes, we love this land of ours" (our National Anthem), "Norway in red, white and blue" (not red, yellow and blue as The Island seems to think), and "We are a nation, too". The Royal family are standing on the their palace balcony, waving at the children below, although this year, for the first time without the king, who recently received heart surgery and is still recovering. After the parades there are games and competitions for the kids and unwritten laws give the same permission to eat ice cream, hot dogs, candy and cake until they puke. And speaking of puking... the seniors graduating from high school, known as russ, have been wreaking havoc on the nation for weeks now, celebrating the end of 12 years of mandatory school by consuming enormous amounts of alcohol while pestering each other and everyone else. They deserve an entry all to themselves, though.

I may sound sarcastic writing this, but one thing about the Constitution Day celebrations really makes me proud. The celebrations have no military overtones, whatsoever. There never has been - not since the constitution was declared on May 17th, 1814, although Norway the same year was handed from Denmark to a union with Sweden and didn't gain independence until 1905. Parading military equipment on this day would be unthinkable. It would provoke anger and resentment everywhere. This day is for the children to enjoy and for families to celebrate freedom together. I think that is something that deserves mentioning outside of Norway, too.

BTW: You can find all the articles in The Islands online edition, and if you want to read more about the celebrations, check out The Norway Post, where you will also find an English translation of the National Anthem.

Chewing along

As I made my way over here today, through Sunday-crowded streets, chewing on a Seeni Saambal Bun from Delight Bakery, it struck me that I've never seen Srilankans eating while walking. Not that I can recall anyway. The exception is possibly with icecream, although I am not sure. Is this some cultural taboo I have overlooked? Or is it just that exhaust fumes and hungry looking beggars have a tendency to kill the appetite? If there is someone out there with an answer I am all ears.

Oh, and I have a little correction to make. In an earlier entry, writing about the Americans I have befriended here in Kandy, I wrote that they were once students with the "Iowa program". *cough* This as it turns out was a big fat lie. They have no connections to the University of Iowa whatsoever, and were, I believe, a bit offended at me writing so. They were, however, students with the "ISLE program" which makes a good bit more sense. Oh well. Honest mistake! :)

/haakon/

Some clarifications

First of all, I am really pleased, and a bit surprised, to see that there are some Srilankans out there too, who are visiting Globen Café. It seems deciding to write in English was not wasted after all. 7 comments in 24 hours is a new record, for sure. If Dr. Goonatilake struck a nerve with me, I obviously struck a nerve with you. I hope I didn't provoke any of you to the point where you stop visiting, though. But I suppose it works the other way around.

I really feel I should clarify a couple of things. In case I came across as pro-LTTE: I am not. I am fully aware of LTTE's violent and oppresseve history and it is abhorrent. I am fully aware of the expulsion of Muslims from LTTE-controlled areas. I have several Muslim friends who's families were directly affected. There is no excuse for such an act. Whether the LTTE or JVP are the most racist however, is a futile debate. First off, we would have to define what we mean by "racist". What led me to write what I wrote is that I believe the LTTE are motivated more by lust for power than nationalistic ideology. They have had no qualms with executing whoever stands in their path, regardless of ethnicity. The JVP on the other hand, claim to be socialist, but it their "socialism" is only for the Sinhalese.

Irony is a literary tool begging to be misunderstood. I hope it was clear that what I wrote about Dr. Goonatilake was far-fetched nonsense, but I did it to prove a point. He had perhaps done his homework when writing of Solheim, but I doubt his schoolteacher would have been happy with the way he did it, twisting each bit of information he could find to fit his purpose. This is dangerous. Especially considering his work as a university lecturer, a position which carries a great deal of influence. He should be more responsible.

To answer some of your questions:

To you who gave me this link: Thanks for making me aware of the probe and the compensations. What I wrote was obviously wrong, my sources too old. Still it shold be noted that more than 20 years passed before any compensation was given to affected Tamils, and that many of them still have not received compensation.

Chandare: As for the Tamil membership in the JVP, can you give me some numbers? I have no doubt that there are a few Tamil members, but I doubt sincerely they are many enough for you to beat your chest about it. I could launch into a debate about Tamil and Sinhala nationalism, but suffice it to say here that after independence there was a strong movement among the Tamils to build an inclusive nationstate where there would be some self government in the predominantly Tamil areas. There was no talk of Eelam, a separate Tamil state. Contrast this to the surge in Sinhalese nationalism when Bandaranaike came to power in 1956 and tell me who wanted a state based purely on ethnicity (and religion, but in this country the two are one and the same).

On to Goonatilakes claims against Norway.

1) Whether it is in the Norwegian constitution I don't know, but it is a fact that all officials in Norway must know not only Norwegian, but also the second official language, nynorsk (or Newnorwegian). What exactly do you find so repulsive about requiring an official in a country to know the language that country's affairs are conducted in? This beats me.

2) Regarding conversions... Again, I don't know the wording in the constitution. In reality however there is noone stopping anyone who wants to convert to another religion, or wanting to become an atheist, agnostic, nihilist, satanist or subscribe to any other belief of his/her choice.

3) It is true that Norway has a sad history of discriminating against the Saamis, as well as some other minority groups, such as kvenene (I don't know the English term) and the Gypsies. Some gruefull things happened in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including experiments with lobotomy and forced sterilizations. This is a dark chapter in the history of Norway, and unfortunately a chapter it shares with most of the Western world.

In more modern times other minorities have been discriminated against, too. The Jews were not given the protection they deserved during the Second World War, although many Norwegians laid down their lives against the Germans. And the Lebensborn children, those born during or after the war with Norwegian mothers and German fathers, recieved harsh treatment by other Norwegians.

In recent years, like in other European countries, a neo-nazi movement has gained popularity, and xenophobia has driven many to the political right wing. It is sad. Very sad. I think it is the curse of the rich, that they are so afraid of a change of the status quo that they are never happy.
So, yeah... you can dig up a lot of dirt on Norway. Did I mention we sent soldiers to Afghanistan and Iraq (allthough in Iraq they are only doing humnitarian work)?

I just did some quick research on the economic rights of Saamis, and think I undertand the core of the controversy now. According to this source (in Norwegian) Norway was the first country to ratify the 169th ILO-convention on the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples. That was in 1990. The convention obligates Norway to recognize Saami rights of ownership of resources in those areas that they alone traditionally have made use of. It is argued that proposed legislation for Finnmark, the northernmost county of Norway, where half of the Norwegian Saamis live, does not live up to our international obligations. The legislation proposes a Saami minority (3 of 7 seats) in the administrative body looking after the regions resources. The Saami Parliament, and its president, are among the heaviest critics.

It seems our friend Dr. Goonatilake may actually have a point. I fail to see how this is relevant with regard to Norway's role as an invited fascilitator in Sri Lanka, though.

The issue of traditional Tamil homelands is a controversial one where there has been an amazing amount of partisan writing by shcolars and politicians on both sides. I do not want to get into this now, but may come back to it at another time.

Thanks for all the comments!

/haakon/

Eric the Viking and Susantha the Vikingslayer

While doing some research online today, I came across the conference material (pdf) from WAPS' (World Alliance for Peace in Sri Lanka) Road Maps to Peace in Sri Lanka-conference, held in Oslo, August last year. You may not be familiar with WAPS. Despite a benign sounding name, WAPS is a organization full of phlegm and bile, spewing out anti-Tamil propaganda and reeking of post-colonial paranoia. Their roadmaps to peace all follow the path of anihillation of the LTTE.

What particularily caught my attention was the article eloquently named "Eric the Viking - Deconstructing Solheim", written by Dr. Susantha Goonatilake, previously printed in The Sunday Times. In this piece Dr. Goonatilake reveals how our Norwegian messenger of peace is nothing but the devil in disguise. And how does he manage this? Never underestimate the power of googling!

The text is short, but if you don't have the bandwith to download the whole pdf-file which includes all the texts from the conference, let me repeat some of the golden nuggets.

After revealing that Solheim supported military action against Milosevic and condemned Kissinger and Pinochet, who he makes seem like girl scouts compared to Prabhakaran (founder and head of the LTTE), he brings to our attention that "Solheim is also concerned about the spread of a racist party in Norway and wants to isolate it" (I assume he is referring to FrP), BUT "in Sri Lanka he befriends the most racist party, the LTTE". You can call LTTE a lot of things, i.e. ruthless and war hungry, but when it comes to racism they fall considerably short of matching the Sinhalese chauvenist JVP.

Here is my favourite paragraph, though: "Solheim has also been against Norway joining the European Union (EU). He campaigned heavily against Norwegian entry when a referendum was held on it. But the EU today backs this political enemy of the European Union in his intervention in Sri Lanka. They consider him their representative. Apparently it is not his ideas that count for EU support but like the colonialists of yore, him being European. Europe uber alles, Hitler might have echoed" (emphasize added by me).

How about that!

Goonatilake goes on showing how the man has no morals, refering to Solheim's autobiography where he admits having used his children to obtain positive media coverage, and even worse, that he sold the details of his divorce to the gutter press. "In Sri Lanka, the practise of the sensationalist press does not exist. So Sri Lankans might not fully understand this act of prostitution", he comments. Hmm.. I have yet to discover press in Sri Lanka that is not sensationalist.

Did I say that that previous bit was my favourite paragraph? I changed my mind, this is my favourite part- this is where it gets hysterical: "The Norwegian constitution demands that all its officials know the Norwegian language (!), forbid their citizens to change their religion from Lutheranism (!!) and its government restricts the economic rights of the Saami people. Sri Lanka has no equivalent for these discriminatory acts. But now Norway wants to interfere in our country. For our good they say, in their missionary zeal. 'White man, he talk with forked tounge'." I wonder if he is aware that Norway has a federal system with regard to the Saamis, similar to what the Tamils want in the north and the east of Sri Lanka. And as for discriminatory acts: what about making Sinhala the only national language? What about "the standardisation" of university admissions, imposed to cut back the number of Tamils in the universities? What about irrigating land along the Mahaweli River, lands that Tamils claim as their traditional homelands, and giving it solely to Sinhalese colonists? What about covertly supporting the communal riots against Tamils in 1983 and never even appologize to, let alone compensate, the thousands of Tamils in the south that lost everything? No, I suppose Sri Lanka has no equivalent to those discriminatory acts.

So who is this Susantha Goonatilake? Let's google back!

This biography reveals that "Dr. Susantha Goonatilake was first trained in electrical engineering in Sri Lanka, Germany and Britain and later in sociology in Sri lanka and Britain." According to this he is currently employed in America and has previously taught at several research institutes in Asia, Europe and America. Still, his literature is flagrantly post-colonial and anti-imperialistic. For someone so antagonistic to western culture and academia he sure seems to be enjoying being a part of it. And electrical engineering and sociology? Geez.. he must have a waivering personality and is obviously wholly incapable of sticking to his decissions.

Goonatilake has lectured in Norway too, more specifically at the University of Trondheim, where one of his books was reviewed by this man, proving he has an affinity for bold, bearded and bespectacled men (no offence meant Prof Jones). Could it be that it is this pent up homosexual lust that drives him from country to country, from university to university, never giving him peace, forcing him to lash out at whoever or whatever is in his way that makes him feel inferior and insecure? Quite likely, quite likely.

Ah.. the power of Google.

/haakon/