In February
2016 a team of ERR documentarians travelled to Sri Lanka in order to see how
the country lives in nearly seven years after the civil war. For 25 days of stay
on the island the author and editor of the film Artur Aukon, director Mati Kark
and operator Väino Laisaar crisscrossed more than half of the country and
talked with representatives of different ethnic and social groups.
The
confrontation between the Tamils and the Sinhalese that lasted for a quarter
of a century has left a serious mark on the social situation in the country.
Until recently, there were special restrictions on visiting the northern part
of the island, populated mainly by Sinhalese. Even today more military bases are
located here. On Jaffna peninsula, where active military operations were
carried out, there are still many destroyed buildings and uncleared minefields.
One of the
central figures of the film is a driver and a guide of Sinhalese origin, who
continued doing what he loves most – even during the war. Together with him the
documentary team discovered the post-war Sri Lanka. He shares his memories
about the conflict, his reflections on the current political situation in the
country, and tells the story of how the war changed his life.
The film is
divided into several parts, each one dedicated to a specific episode of the
journey. For example, St. John’s College, Jaffna takes one of the central
places in the narrative. It was founded by the Church of England in 1823. During
the military conflicts most of its buildings were destroyed. The United Kingdom
and Norway paid for their restoration. The current head of school N. J. Gnanaponrajah
took office in 2006, during commencement of the last phase of the war. By that
time, many children were already left without parents, placed in field centers
for refugees and had no access to education. Thanks to the actions of the head
of the college and the support of the EU countries, ca. 400 orphans received
free education and accommodation on the campus. Currently teachers from Denmark
and the United States are involved in internship under international exchange
programs – they are trying to understand how the experience of the European
multicultural education can be applied in Sri Lanka. With the support of the EU
funds several school buildings for joint education of children of different
nationalities were restored in the country.
The subject
of inter-ethnic and inter-religious dialogue can also be traced with the example
of drastically different fates of fishermen in the west and in the east of the
country. They also share memories of life during the war, and reflect on the
social and economic problems of the country.
Volunteers
from European organizations help in solving these problems. In particular, the
film focuses on the activities of the organization People in Need, representatives of which are trying to work towards
two goals. This year they hope to get a grant for implementation of educational
projects. The organization also successfully runs projects on implementation of
modern waste recycling and bio-gas production technologies. These plants are
used to supply both state institutions (for instance, hospitals) and private
companies. For example, in the city of Batticaloa such eco-friendly
technologies are actively used in the hospitality industry.
