The “People’s Festival” represents a unique opportunity to celebrate Sri Lanka’s diversity, strengthen national unity, and build a brighter future for all
- Some ideas to be considered
A vision for unity and celebration
Sri Lanka is a nation blessed with a rich tapestry of cultures, ethnicities, religions, and traditions. This diversity is a source of strength and beauty, yet its potential for fostering greater understanding and unity remains largely untapped. This proposal outlines a vision for a “People’s Festival,” a multi-location, week-long event designed to celebrate this diversity, promote social harmony, and showcase the best of Sri Lanka to the world in line with the statement made by the President during his visit to Jaffna recently.
The opportunity: Embracing our plurality
Imagine a festival that transforms Colombo into a vibrant hub of cultural exchange, where visitors can immerse themselves in the sights, sounds, tastes, and experiences that define Sri Lanka. This is the opportunity we envision:
- A chance to create a unifying national event that transcends cultural and social divides.
- A platform to showcase Sri Lanka’s unique identity on a national and international stage.
- An opportunity to stimulate economic activity, promote tourism, and empower local communities.
Proposed concept:
The “People’s Festival”
The “People’s Festival” is conceived as a dynamic and progressive celebration of Sri Lanka’s diversity, with the following key elements:
nMulti-location experience: The festival will unfold across multiple iconic venues in Colombo, such as BMICH, Independence Square, Arcade, Nelum Pokuna, Viharamahadevi Park, Open Air Theatre, and Galle Face Green. Each location will host a variety of activities and exhibitions, creating a seamless and engaging experience for visitors.
- A celebration of the senses: The festival will offer a rich sensory experience, showcasing:
- Arts and crafts: Paintings, handicrafts, designs, and traditional attire.
- Performing arts: Dances, music, songs, movies, TV programs, folk games, and short films.
- Culinary delights: A diverse array of food representing Sri Lanka’s regional and ethnic cuisines.
- Heritage and traditions: Exhibitions and demonstrations highlighting literature, religion, beliefs, traditions, history, and rituals.
- Inclusivity and representation: The festival will celebrate the unique identities of all Sri Lankan communities, including Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher, Malay, and other diverse groups, as well as various religious and social communities. The festival should also prioritise accessibility and inclusion for physically challenged persons.
- Fostering integration: Beyond the celebrations, the festival can serve as a catalyst for greater social cohesion through initiatives such as:
- Exhibitions and performances: Showcasing Sri Lanka’s diverse cultural heritage.
- Trade stalls: Primarily featuring small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
- Digital integration: Augmented reality experiences and 5G-enabled simultaneous translation.
- Tourism promotion: Each province promoting its unique tourist attractions.
- People-to-people integration: Holiday exchange programs facilitating interaction between students from different parts of the country.
Key considerations for development:
To bring this vision to life, I propose considering the following:
- Positioning and branding: How can we best position the festival to resonate with all Sri Lankans and capture the spirit of unity in diversity? Should we develop a brand that incorporates all three languages/language representations?
- Stakeholder engagement: Identifying and engaging key stakeholders is crucial for the festival’s success. This includes:
- Ministries (Cultural and Religious Affairs, National Integration, Youth Affairs, Tourism, Provincial Council Affairs, Health, Water, Transport).
- Tri-Forces and Police.
- Established clubs and societies of ethnic groups.
- Key religious organisations.
- Media and social media activists.
- Education institutions (public and private).
- Telecom providers and banks.
- Governance and Implementation:
- Should a bipartisan parliamentary sub-committee be established to provide overall direction?
- Should the festival be declared a national event through an act of Parliament to ensure continuity?
- How can we assemble a competent team of experts to lead various sub-committees?
- Would a full-day workshop with professional facilitation help develop a comprehensive action plan?
- Sustainability and funding:
- The festival’s financial sustainability is paramount. Potential revenue streams include:
- Income from renting trade stalls.
- Income from entrance tickets.
- Sponsorships from various organisations.
- Advertising on video walls within the festival premises.
- Indirect income from increased business turnover and related activities.
- Enhancing the visitor experience:
- How can we ensure seamless and enjoyable experiences for attendees? Ideas include:
- Branded buses and tuk-tuks with prepaid “hop-on and ride” passes for convenient inter-location transport.
- Recycling initiatives that incorporate edutainment methods to promote responsible waste disposal.
- Timing and expansion:
- What is the optimal time of year to launch the festival (e.g., October or November)?
- How can we create a framework that allows the festival to be replicated in other regions of Sri Lanka (e.g., Jaffna, Batticaloa, Hambantota) in the future?
- Potential benefits: A vision for the future
The “People’s Festival” has the potential to deliver significant benefits to Sri Lanka:
- Promoting social harmony: By celebrating diversity and fostering understanding, the festival can contribute to greater social cohesion and national unity.
- Enhancing national image: The festival can showcase the positive aspects of Sri Lanka and help reposition the nation on the global stage.
- Boosting tourism and the economy: The festival has the potential to become a major tourist attraction, stimulating economic activity and creating opportunities for local businesses.
- Enhancing reach and engagement through digital integration
- To maximise the reach, engagement, and overall impact of the “People’s Festival,” we propose a comprehensive digital strategy that complements the physical events. This digital framework will not only extend the festival’s reach beyond Colombo but also create opportunities for participation and interaction for those unable to attend in person.
Key digital initiatives can include:
- Event website and mobile app: A dedicated website and mobile application will serve as central hubs for information, schedules, maps, and real-time updates. These platforms can also facilitate e-ticketing and e-registration.
- Virtual cultural showcase: Live-streamed events featuring performances from various cultural groups across Sri Lanka, including traditional music, dance, and storytelling. Online viewers can interact through comments or live chats.
- Nationwide online contest: A national competition to showcase creativity through photography, art, or video submissions that reflect the theme of unity. Winners can be announced during a live-streamed event.
- Digital collaborative art project: An online platform where participants can contribute to a digital mural or collage representing the diversity of Sri Lanka, to be displayed during the physical event.
- Virtual panel discussions: Live-streamed discussions with local leaders, artists, and influencers about unity and cultural heritage, with opportunities for audience participation through Q&A sessions.
- Interactive workshops: Online workshops focusing on traditional crafts, cooking, or cultural practices, led by experts in real-time.
- Social media campaign: A dedicated social media campaign to encourage people to share their celebrations, traditions, and experiences of unity, using a specific hashtag to promote the campaign and highlight user-generated content.
- Digital parade or procession: Augmented reality (AR) to create a virtual parade where people can experience cultural performances, floats, and traditional attire through their devices.
- Online community games: Virtual games like quizzes or trivia focused on Sri Lankan culture, history, and achievements, accessible from anywhere in the country.
- Live streaming: Live streaming key events and performances to reach a wider audience.
- Social media engagement: Utilising social media platforms for promotion, engagement, and community building.
- Email campaigns: Targeted email campaigns to disseminate information and updates to registered participants and interested individuals.
- Post-event content: Sharing event highlights, videos, and other content after the festival to maintain engagement and extend its impact.
- Digital sponsorships and partnerships: Exploring opportunities for digital sponsorships and partnerships to enhance the online experience and generate revenue.
Furthermore, to ensure inclusivity and broaden the festival’s reach, consideration should be given to hosting the event not only in Colombo but also in other key locations such as Hambantota, Batticaloa, Kilinochchi, and Anuradhapura.
To facilitate these digital initiatives effectively, collaboration with all telecom operators (SLT Mobitel, Dialog, and Hutch) is crucial.
By integrating these digital elements, the “People’s Festival” can achieve the following:
- Enhanced engagement: Create interactive and immersive experiences for participants, fostering a stronger sense of community and connection.
- Expanded reach: Extend the festival’s reach to a national and global audience, promoting Sri Lankan culture and diversity to a wider world.
- Increased accessibility: Enable individuals who cannot attend the physical events to participate and experience the festival virtually.
- Long-term impact: Create a lasting digital legacy of the festival, with online content and resources that can be accessed and enjoyed long after the event concludes.
This enhanced digital strategy will transform the “People’s Festival” into a truly modern and inclusive celebration of Sri Lanka’s rich heritage.
One may want study and get inspired by some of the globally recognised festivals so that ours too can be in the same league though ours will have many unique features.
1. Cultural festivals emphasising diversity:
- Carnaval (Brazil): While known for its massive celebrations, Carnaval is fundamentally a festival where diverse cultural expressions of Brazil come together. It features music, dance, parades, and street performances that showcase the country’s rich regional variations and Afro-Brazilian heritage. It aligns with the “People’s Festival” in its emphasis on diverse cultural expression, though Carnaval is more heavily focused on exuberant celebration.
- Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Scotland): This is the world’s largest arts festival and features a huge variety of performances from theatre and comedy to music and dance. It’s an open-access festival, meaning anyone can perform, which fosters a very diverse program. This relates to the “People’s Festival” idea of providing a platform for diverse voices and expressions, though the Fringe is heavily focused on the arts.
2.Festivals promoting national unity:
- Canada Day (Canada): Celebrated annually on 1 July, Canada Day commemorates the anniversary of the Constitution Act. It involves celebrations across the country with parades, concerts, and fireworks. While its primary focus is national pride, it also provides opportunities to celebrate Canada’s multiculturalism. This connects to the “People’s Festival” in the goal of fostering national unity, though Canada Day is tied to a specific historical event.
3.Festivals with strong digital components:
- Many contemporary music festivals (e.g., Coachella, Tomorrowland) use live streaming, social media engagement, and interactive digital experiences to extend their reach and engage audiences beyond the physical event. This is directly relevant to the “Digital Dimension” aspect of the “People’s Festival,” showing the potential of these tools.
Call to action:
This proposal is intended to spark discussion and inspire action. We believe that the “People’s Festival” represents a unique opportunity to celebrate Sri Lanka’s diversity, strengthen national unity, and build a brighter future for all. We urge decision-makers and stakeholders to consider this vision and embark on a collaborative journey to bring this transformative event to life.
