Traditional knowledge and peace building to unite Sri Lankan expatriates

The Tamils and Sinhalese are communities strongly attached to cultural traditions and often suffer psychological reactions when they migrate elsewhere, owing to being cut off completely from their culture. The second and third generations of these groups are often separated from the vast repository of traditional knowledge that their grandparents or parents held and which can be useful in their adopted countries and as holistic healers of deep seated psycho social wounds

• Focus on Sri Lanka’s Burgher, Tamil, Sinhala and Muslim diaspora in South Asia, South East Asia, the United States, Canada, Europe and the Western world at large with core activities held in Sri Lanka

Traditional knowledge and peace building to bond  Sri Lankan youth diaspora 

Post independent Sri Lanka has been divided on ethnic and religious lines for over 70 years and although the ethnic conflict ended in 2009, the division, especially among youth, continues based on cultural identity. While the lack of interaction within Sri Lanka remains an issue that prevents understanding between communities, the diaspora factor in Sri Lanka involving mainly the Sinhala and Tamil ethnicities, is a major unfocused concern in peace building.

Thousands of Tamils and Sinhalese who have left the country at various times, mostly due to the ethnic strife and also socio-economic concerns and policy changes from the 1950s onwards do not interact with each other. The Sinhalese and Tamil youth overseas look at each other as enemies while there is little or nothing done by any stakeholder to change this status quo. Although State action or lack of action has fuelled this enmity there is much that could be done in a wider context in achieving unity and understanding among the Sri Lankan youth diaspora that could influence lobbying for a progressive and stable socio economic, socio political future. The Sri Lankan diaspora, the Sinhala  and the Tamil diaspora, even within the same foreign university, do not interact except to wage a cold war of sorts on matters pertaining to ethnic identity or war /peace related themes. However, these youth who are strongly divided at present could play a major role if united in assisting Sri Lankans to create a new dawn where understanding and empathy overcomes the past, however painful. 

Significance of peace building through traditional knowledge for diaspora groups

Traditional knowledge, also can be referred to as indigenous knowledge and is the expertise or memory passed down by generations pertaining to several disciplines including ancient engineering, climate change adaptation, environment protection, water conservation, health, wellbeing, the arts, crafts and diverse entrepreneurship routes, to name a few. Traditional knowledge thus is a key route to promoting sustainability but remains an utilised and poorly integrated route to peace making in Sri Lanka as well as globally. The relevance of using traditional knowledge in peace building is multifold especially when it involves the diaspora of any community. Diaspora around the world are groups of people forced to leave their country of origin due to various situations and circumstances and find refuge in other locations. Although many of them have found stable and safe refuge in different countries they are bound by ancient traditions that are often restricted to diet or customs at deaths and marriages with no outlet to connect with or engage with the wider realms of this knowledge. The Tamils and Sinhalese are communities strongly attached to cultural traditions and often suffer psychological reactions when they migrate elsewhere, owing to being cut off completely from their culture. The second and third generations of these groups are often separated from the vast repository of traditional knowledge that their grandparents or parents held and which can be useful in their adopted countries and as holistic healers of deep seated psycho social wounds. 

Commonality and economic significance of customs and traditions between Sinhalese and Tamils

There is much commonality between the customs of the Sinhalese and Tamils, through their traditional knowledge, for example, reed mat weaving, which could also bring entrepreneurship dividends for communities back in Sri Lanka, whether Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims. Especially, for women-headed households in Jaffna, the main amphitheatre of hostilities during the 30 year civil war, the involvement of a united Sri Lankan diaspora in a resurgence drive of traditional knowledge could have much positive meaning including export routes with ready markets for the dying out crafts centered around ancient traditions.  Sinhala and Tamil diaspora groups often visit Sri Lanka with the intention of purchasing such products. In referring to mat weaving as one among many forms of traditional knowledge, we do not intend it to be taken lightly. Mats are woven with many varieties of reed found in the island and used to date for their practical, aesthetic and ceremonial  value. Palmyrah(North) and Cadjan (South)weaving was also used in roofing, housing and fencing and still used in tourism where these authentically sustainable constructions have a semblance of survival.

Especially, for women headed households in Jaffna, the main amphitheatre of hostilities during the 30 year civil war, the involvement of a united Sri Lankan diaspora in a resurgence drive of traditional knowledge could have much positive meaning including export routes with ready markets for the dying out crafts centred around ancient traditions

Traditional Knowledge has its share of differences and commonalities with regard to differing ethnicities or even nationalities. The Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims have much shared knowledge of traditions entwined with sustainability that has evolved over the years and this vast repository is spread across the three communities in the island.

A series of systematic activities are proposed over the following selected areas of traditional knowledge, that is to be revived across identified diaspora youth and linked groups domiciled in the following countries;

Sri Lanka, the United States, Canada, Britain, France.

The traditional knowledge will pertain to the following:

First aid and immunity through local food varieties

Soil healing for increased nature based fertility and propagating of dying out indigenous foods

Reed based products of arts and crafts

Drumming, music and dance

Interpreting ancient Sinhala and Tamil texts on Palmyra leaves found in local and overseas libraries

Construction

Material weaving, including the construction of the traditional weaving machine.

Livelihood and entrepreneurial dividend

The proposed project has a strong livelihood and entrepreneurial dividend for the local communities of Sri Lanka. It seeks to unite and involve the first, second and third generation Sinhalese, Tamils, Burghers and Muslims from the above cited countries to renew their interest in local crafts and arts so that they could be created as part of the project for an initial  period of five years and marketed throughout the world.

Media relevance in promoting and documenting the initiative of peacebuilding linked with traditional knowledge

The Harmony page was launched by the Weekend FT five years ago to explore the wide range of scope the media could have in creating a better world and going beyond the limit of reporting and analysis. Therefore, in this proposed project the Weekend FT through the Harmony page, would cover the proceedings which would be beneficial to the world at large on the use of traditional knowledge for peace building among diaspora communities.

The activities will be carried out using social media in order to bring the global diaspora together and would also use face to face strategic discussions at crucial points of the project.

The outcomes of the project would thus include:

• Revival of interest and knowledge of a wide range of traditional expertise
• Creating a cohesive network of experts who can impart this knowledge
• Forming of core traditional knowledge of peace building groups in Sri Lanka and overseas
• Publishing a coffee table book on the culmination of the project featuring the revived arts and crafts

Creation of traditional knowledge global business and youth ambassadors to promote traditional knowledge businesses of women headed households of Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese Systematic professional training and revival of different forms of traditional knowledge mentioned above by affiliating with local and overseas educational institutions including an attempt to introduce a global diploma course on peace building through traditional knowledge.

Using the media to propagate traditional knowledge for the revival of rural economy and peace building.

 This initiative is to be piloted by Jeevan Thiagarajah, human rights activist and former Governor of North in Sri Lanka and Frances Bulathsinghala, communication and peace building practitioner promoting tradition and the arts. It is a sequence to the project done in February in collaboration with the Governor Secretariat of the North and ONUR on introducing traditional knowledge/Intangible cultural heritage as routes to peace building.