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Project: "Cultural and Aesthetic Conflict Transformation Initiatives within Universities"
This project builds on CPBR's continuous engagement with the university community since 2003. Two undergraduates who participated to a CPBR training in 2003/04 identified culture and aesthetic as a tool to promote conflict transformation. The result was the work we carried out this year with the universities of Kelaniya and South Eastern University.
The aim was to improve understanding of different cultures among students. The universities involved are situated in two different geographical locations, reflecting the two dominant ethnicities of Sinhalese and Muslims of the area. However, both are multi-ethnic, with a considerable student population belonging to different ethnicities.
60 participants from both universities (30 from each) took part in the project. The fact that performing arts were the means of expression was a key factor that attracted and sustained the interest and motivation of the participants.
Achievements:
- A strong bond between student groups has been developed based on mutual understanding and respect. This enabled them to implement a collaborative event to promote peace and social justice.
- A major cultural festival conducted by students and our eastern youth groups of all communities was organized on the 5th anniversary of ceasefire agreement. It included minority groups students as well as those of the majority communities to promote ethnic harmony, peace and justice. Despite open hostility towards peace initiatives and the ceasefire agreement, it was significant that the South Eastern University went ahead and hosted the event. In the province, in fact there was ongoing fighting between various armed groups. It was also the first time that Sinhalese and Tamil cultural expressions were publicly brought together within the University. Furthermore, although some students in the Kelaniya University (of Sinhala majority) backed out from participating due to threats, intimidations and defamation campaigns against student peace activists, some braved these attend the event. The participation and integration of two Tamil youth groups, working with CPBR regional offices, was a significant contrast to the context of hatred between Tamils and Sinhalese found in the province.
- Significant achievements from the gender perspective were the high level of Tamil female participation in a Muslim University (rare in Eastern Sri Lanka) and the involvement of female Muslim students in organizing events. Overall a clear sign of the trust developed between those ethnicities within the group.
- As an output of the project Muslim, Tamil and Sinhalese students from both universities performed joint productions in Sinhalese and Tamil. The production process became an excellent platform to practice inter-cultural understanding and harmony.
Lessons learned and Future options:
- Aesthetics, drama, theatre, food and cultural activities are less threatening and very affective approaches to promote conflict transformation.
- There was strong support extended by the South Eastern University community (Vice Chancellor, academic, non-academic staff and students), but there was no such support from the Kelaniya University, and this is an area that we need to pay more attention to.
- In order to maximize the participation of students, the timing needs to be selected carefully, keeping in mind the examinations at the Universities concerned.
- We also saw the need to involve more students in the overall planning and organization of the process - in this initiative, although several hundreds attended the cultural festival, the number of students involved in the whole process was about 30 from South Eastern University and 30 from the Kelaniya University.
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