Youth - Groundviews

Archive for the ‘Youth’

1 Mar, 2012
Asanga Welikala
11 Comments
Colombo,
Constitutional Reform,
Features,
Identity,
Jaffna,
Peace and Conflict,
Politics and Governance,
Post-War,
Youth

JAYATISSA, JEYARAJ AND JACOBINISM: DEBATING ‘SRI LANKAN-NESS’ IN POST-WAR SRI LANKA

Photo courtesy Sri Lanka Guardian Much is being written nowadays about post-war Sri Lankan identity and the challenges of unity in diversity, among which are well-meaning interventions extolling the virtues of building a modernist, inclusive Sri Lankan nation that transcends narrow, parochial ethno-cultural identities. Given the fact that we completely and calamitously muffed the first opportunity to do so at the postcolonial historical moment, and fought a thirty-year ethnic conflict as a result, it ought to be strange that we should once again be resorting to this grand idea with such alacrity. That it is trotted out so uncritically and so often by patently well-intentioned, politically moderate and open-minded people – from the authors of the LLRC report to many political commentators and citizen journalists – demonstrates not only the pervasiveness of this idea in our political imagination but also the limits of that imagination. One such intervention is the recent article by Kamaya Jayatissa, in which a fervent argument…

29 Feb, 2012
Groundviews
2 Comments
Colombo,
Economy,
Education,
Jaffna,
Politics and Governance,
Post-War,
Youth

Youth unemployment in Sri Lanka: The foundations of violence?

In an interview broadcast on public TV recently, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Senior Lecturer, Department of Social Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka and co-author of Rethinking the nexus between youth, unemployment and conflict – Perspectives from Sri Lanka looks into what is a real and growing problem in Sri Lanka – youth unemployment. As the report by International Alert notes, Likewise, youth unemployment cannot be looked at as an isolated problem: Its roots lie deep in social, cultural, economic and political structures and dynamics, as illustrated by some of the issues emerging from the district-level research. Enhancing young people’s skills, while necessary in countries where educational curricula and job market requirements do not match, will not be sufficient to overcome these barriers. In the interview. Dr. Amarasuriya speaks of a National Action Plan for Youth Employment, an initiative from a few years ago under the present government that no one now seems to recall, leave aside implement the…

5 Jan, 2012
Fotheringay-Phipps
5 Comments
Colombo,
Education,
Language,
Peace and Conflict,
Politics and Governance,
Youth

Good English skills over a University education?

Image courtesy Seven myths about English Education in Sri Lanka, by Ajith P. Perera It was not so long ago that the post-nominals B.A. (Calcutta) Failed was a sure route to employment in the administrative cadre of the Government of India, in addition to being a matter of distinction in their own right. Even a decade ago, the university degree was perceived to be the key to the almighty white-collar job, and the stability, prestige and standard of living that were associated with it. Today that is no longer the case; with the decline of our university system and ever faster globalisation, command of the English language is now the passport to success. It is not without good reason that the market chooses to prize sound linguistic skills in English over a university education. Employers find that candidates with a thorough knowledge of English are able to communicate more effectively; both with one another in multi-ethnic workplaces and with foreign parties, an increasing common occurrence. Tourism, logistics and…

Colombo night races: Racy development in post-war Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan photographer Devaka Seneviratne has some of the best photos on the web on the recently concluded night races held in Colombo for the first time. While Facades of Development: Of Commonwealth Games and Drag Racing at Green Path by Darini Rajasingham Senanayake is a critical take on events like this, it appears that going by the numbers present and the media coverage of it, this was a rather popular and well-attended event. As one blogger recently put it “Both events [referring to the Electric Peacock Festival] are young people getting permits and stuff through the President’s sons, which is actually fine by me”. Such a wonderful, uncritical and simple model for post-war Sri Lanka’s democratic governance and equitable development. While we think this can and must be contested, the photos of the night races by Devaka give a sense of what to expect on the streets of Sri Lanka’s capital city in the years to come, and indeed, the…

3 Oct, 2011
Groundviews
0 Comment
Colombo,
Kandy,
Music,
Reconciliation,
Youth

In conversation with Joshua Roman: Videos and photos

Performing at the Lionel Wendt. Photo by Ruvin de Silva. TED Fellow and gifted cellist Joshua Roman was in Sri Lanka recently for his debut concert in Colombo. He also performed in Kandy. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma called him an “extraordinary young musician”. Those who came to listen to him play in Colombo and Kandy, accompanied by Eshantha Peiris on the piano, left richer for having experienced his music. As with Mandhira de Saram, Joshua started playing an instrument very young, at age three. Joshua speaks about his family’s influence on his music, and choice of instrument. We also talk about the cello he brought to Sri Lanka, which made in 1899, was perhaps the oldest western musical instrument to ever grace the stage at the Lionel Wendt and the venue in Kandy. Joshua speaks about his approach to music, and how though trained and obviously adept at playing classical music, he always tries to experiment and likes to play contemporary…

14 Sep, 2011
Shaahima Fahim
0 Comment
Identity,
International,
Peace and Conflict,
Post-War,
Youth

(Inter)national Identity

Up until just two years ago, I have only known a Sri Lanka at war. And it was possibly just over a decade ago when I came about to comprehending that we were in fact, at war with ourselves. Having recently just returned from yet another visit to my ‘island of birth’, I found it quite upsetting to witness for oneself a country more divided than ever before. The post-war optimism of the previous year seemed to have fizzled into a general state of discontent; divided between the fight for supremacy in national identity, and the undecidedness in satisfaction over the way the country is being run. More dispiriting (and within a much shorter time frame) than a two-decade-long civil war it appears, is an election deemed inconsequential and the loss of repute under global condescension. “Oh, what do you know about National identity?” I’ve been scorned at far too many a time whenever attempting to bring up the discourse….

Living with HIV in Sri Lanka: Reflections from ICAAP10 in Busan, Korea

World AIDS Day, 2010, One Voice – SARYN We were in Busan, Korea last week, where S, a young man living with HIV, and I were presenting at the International Conference on AIDS in the Asia and Pacific on how the People Living with HIV Stigma Index had helped empower a local community that is marginalized and often forgotten in the response to HIV and AIDS in low prevalence countries like ours. In truth, I have begun to question if people living with HIV in Sri Lanka matter at all. Those who come forward are often poor; from rural communities that no longer want them (especially if their status is known) or from towns that are not large enough for them to be invisible in or hide in the shadows (especially if their status is known). Is their status known? Surely confidentiality is preserved in rural and provincial Sri Lanka? Nurses and ward staff and gardeners and cleaners are trained not to talk about…

3 Sep, 2011
Groundviews
12 Comments
Features,
Human Rights,
Human Security,
Jaffna,
Peace and Conflict,
Politics and Governance,
Post-War,
Youth

Post-war, is the Sri Lankan Army going on a rampage in the North?

The Sri Lankan Army: Humane or heinous? Photo from Now Public [Editors note: Also read JAFFNA: BRUTAL ASSAULT OF CIVILIANS IN NAVANTHURAI and The attack on TNA Parliamentarians in Jaffna: A timeline of outrageous denials (Updated)] These days, the Sri Lankan Army appears to be somewhat bored. Despite increasing post-war forays into urban development, vegetable transportation and tourism – wonderfully captured in this cartoon – the Army appears to, unsurprisingly, seek more exciting peacetime pursuits. Fortunately, this appears to be quite easy in post-war Sri Lanka, where there are plenty of Tamils to expend excess testosterone on, who as an added bonus, are eternally grateful to the Army for eradicating terrorism and very unlikely to raise too much of a ruckus. A detailed report of the violence in Navanthurai was posted on this site a few days ago. Tamil media now report even more heinous violence from the North, framed by growing fear on the ground over the ‘grease devil’…

2 Sep, 2011
Kalana Senaratne
49 Comments
Colombo,
Features,
Jaffna,
Peace and Conflict,
Politics and Governance,
Youth

Should Sri Lanka’s Youth Get Ready To Confront Armed Intervention Two Years After The War?

check-point_uncertain-future-in-sri-lanka-after-the-war-biel-calderon01

Image from Radio Netherlands Worldwide The proposal (decision?) made by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to repeal the Emergency Regulations (ER) was a hopeful one. It was a significant proposal (decision?) which marked a significant moment in Sri Lanka’s post-war history. One’s heart swelled with joy; the rain had ceased, it was bright and sunny, there was a rainbow somewhere in the distance too. But then, the real news strikes you: there is what is known as ‘The Emergency Consequential Provisional Bill’ which is to be presented to Parliament soon. Until then, new regulations have been introduced to the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to legalize the continuation, for instance, of the High Security Zones (HSZ). The ER was repealed, but there were provisions which couldn’t be repealed too. So, the proposal (decision?) not to extend the ER was, in the end, not so problematic, not so praiseworthy, for there was a rush, unknown to many, to re-introduce some of those provisions…

8 Aug, 2011
Groundviews
12 Comments
Colombo,
Development,
Economy,
Features,
Politics and Governance,
Post-War,
Poverty,
Youth

Chaos in Colombo: Mêlée over jobs indicates a serious economic problem in Sri Lanka?

Anushka Wijesinha (who blogs here), a Research Economist at the Institute of Policy Studies, sent us these incredible photos and video of the chaos in Colombo today when thousands of Korean job seekers appeared for Korean exam applications at the Police Park down Havelock Road. Mainstream media reports a figure of 10,000, which going by the video and photos appear to be mostly young men. In a speech by Dr. Anura Ekanayake, outgoing CCC chairman and IPS Board member, he noted that of the 4.5% unemployment rate overall in Sri Lanka, 18.1% of youth (age 15-24) are unemployed and within this around 10.7% of those qualified with A/Ls are unemployed. Anushka observed that, Many were queuing from 5pm yesterday, which means they had spent the night on the pavements. By the time the centre closed at 11.15am (as was informed by the officials there to those gathered 3,500 applicants had been registered. There was at least 1,000 more in the…

8 Aug, 2011
RD
23 Comments
Diaspora,
International,
Politics and Governance,
Post-War,
Reconciliation,
Youth

The Disillusionment of the Diaspora

[Editors note: Also read Two years after war’s end in Sri Lanka: What can the Tamil and Sinhala diaspora do?] Indi’s post entitled “How Diaspora Can Overthrow The Government” set me off on a train of thought. Thought about the Sri Lankan diaspora, its role in Sri Lanka, both now and in the future. The first mental hurdle I encountered was that of the definition of the word “diaspora”. What exactly is the diaspora? I was once involved in a discussion here in London in which a Sri Lankan (as I saw her) lady objected to being classed as “diasporic”. Her reasoning was that the diaspora was actually people who had forcibly left their country, which was not her specific case, and she requested that the rest of us refer to her by some other label. Sadly I can’t remember what it was. But, up until that point, I’d considered the term diaspora to be a general reference to emigrants. Broad I know,…

7 Aug, 2011
Groundviews
3 Comments
Arts and Theatre,
Colombo,
International,
Youth

In conversation with Mandhira de Saram

Madhira de Saram‘s website describes her as follows, After completing her primary education in Sri Lanka, she was awarded a music scholarship to North London Collegiate School where she completed her secondary education. She was also a Leverhulme Scholar at the Junior Royal Academy of Music where she performed both as a violinist and pianist, also taking classes in composition and conducting. Her violin teachers have included Igor Petrushevsky, Howard Davis and Levon Chillingirian. Mandhira graduated with first class honours from the University of Oxford with a high first in performance and was the winner of the Worcester College Arts Prize for the highest result in an arts subject. Here she was the leader of several orchestras and chamber groups including Ensemble Isis which specializes in contemporary music. She also held an Oxford Philomusica Orchestra Award. Working professionally as a freelance violinist, she appears frequently as soloist, chamber musician and orchestral violinist around the UK and abroad. In Sri Lanka…

5 Aug, 2011
Harini Weerasekera
42 Comments
Education,
Features,
Peace and Conflict,
Politics and Governance,
Post-War,
Youth

Programme to Develop Leadership Training and Positive Thinking: Perspective of a Participant

Having participated in the “Leadership Training and Positive Skills Development Programme” I feel the need to give an account of my experience and views on the programme as there was much debate and disapproval among concerned parties regarding its necessity, its relevance and the manner of implementation of this programme. This is an attempt to give a first-hand account of what really took place during the three weeks of training, discuss if the course fulfilled its objective, and propose the way forward in conducting the programme for future batches of university students. Pre-Departure May 16 was chaotic. Rumor was that the Ministry of Education was sending out letters to local university entrants for the year 2011, asking them to report to one of some thirty army camps across the country, for a three week (military?) training course. “Naaah, they’ll never go through with it” was the general attitude we had at the beginning of May, following an announcement by the…

28 Jul, 2011
R. Hettiarachchi
13 Comments
Colombo,
Identity,
Jaffna,
Peace and Conflict,
Politics and Governance,
Post-War,
Reconciliation,
Youth

Towards a Common Ground of Understanding: A response to “Aachcharya”

Photo credit Sri Lanka Guardian Whether it be fleshing out Sangakkara’s “modern, pluralist worldview of unity in diversity”, the intersection of identity and race relations, the identity crises facing young generations of mixed parentage, or the vital facets of a Sri Lankan identity , the Groundviews contributors have done an exemplary job of critiquing the vision of a “Sri Lankan” identity no longer tied to caste, culture, ethnicity, language, or religion. While I would have liked to stay out of this conversation (for reasons outlined later) Aachcharya’s Back to Basics: The Need for an Honest Conversation About ‘Sri Lankanness’ and ‘Sri Lankan identity’, though cogently argued, unfortunately misrepresented my views. Aachcharya’s Misconceptions Aachcharya is inaccurate in his assertion that I believe that Sri Lankan identity is progressive and other identities are regressive. More precisely, I believe Sri Lankan identity should comprise of a primary multi-plural component that co-exists with important secondary components. For the sake of this article, lets call this the “soft…

18 Jul, 2011
Celina Cramer
64 Comments
Colombo,
Features,
Identity,
International,
Peace and Conflict,
Post-War,
Reconciliation,
Youth

I AM… Identity crisis in Post-conflict Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan traditional dancers perform d

Photo by Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images “There are no more minorities” said the President after the defeat of the LTTE – a secessionist rebel group that waged a war against Sri Lanka in 2009. From now on, everyone is part of the majority. It was a nice feeling after decades of distinction between the communities in the island. I belong to one of the three recognized minorities of the island – the Burghers. A friend of mine noticed that we were the only ones not represented in the National Flag, I assumed that maybe we shared one strip in the flag with another community. This was not the least an issue for me. But with regards to the current conflict which the country went through I find this misrepresentation amusing. As a Sri Lankan of mixed ethnicity- Burgher after my dad and Sinhala, after my mother- I had some great deal to figure out. Aged 13, I presented myself at an…

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Archive for the ‘Youth’

JAYATISSA, JEYARAJ AND JACOBINISM: DEBATING ‘SRI LANKAN-NESS’ IN POST-WAR SRI LANKA

Youth unemployment in Sri Lanka: The foundations of violence?

Good English skills over a University education?

Colombo night races: Racy development in post-war Sri Lanka

In conversation with Joshua Roman: Videos and photos

(Inter)national Identity

Living with HIV in Sri Lanka: Reflections from ICAAP10 in Busan, Korea

Post-war, is the Sri Lankan Army going on a rampage in the North?

Should Sri Lanka’s Youth Get Ready To Confront Armed Intervention Two Years After The War?

Chaos in Colombo: Mêlée over jobs indicates a serious economic problem in Sri Lanka?

The Disillusionment of the Diaspora

In conversation with Mandhira de Saram

Programme to Develop Leadership Training and Positive Thinking: Perspective of a Participant

Towards a Common Ground of Understanding: A response to “Aachcharya”

I AM… Identity crisis in Post-conflict Sri Lanka

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