Found In Ceylon

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Danger in Sri Lanka?

Today was a pretty cool day in America. For the first time ever, a black man (or perhaps more accurately, a non-white man) won a state election. Now it’s starting to feel like we’re in the 21st century, guys.

But today also brings sad news. Sri Lanka’s government–specifically, its prime minister and cabinet–voted to withdraw from its 2002 cease-fire agreement with the LTTE. Then again, if you followed the political climate in Sri Lanka at all while I was there, you’d know that there hasn’t really been a cease-fire for years. In recent months, fighting and bombings have intensified. At the same time, they have remained confined to Colombo, the country’s biggest city, and the conflict zones in the north and the east.

I don’t think many people realize that I stayed for nine months in a country that has been racked by civil war for nearly a quarter-century. It’s easy to assume from that statement alone that I encountered killings and bombings on a first-person basis…when I really didn’t. Not once.

Except for one week where my sister Liz and I traveled around, I stayed almost exclusively in the south of Sri Lanka. That includes Matara, Galle, Kataragama, Hikkaduwa, Akuressa, Unawatuna. It’s the safest zone in the country. The second safest would be in the central highlands like Kandy, Adam’s Peak, Polonnaruwa, Dambulla, Sigiriya–those places where Liz and I went.

Not once did I seriously fear for my life or thought I was entering a mortally dangerous territory.

That’s not to say it was all roses and honey while I was there. Less than a month after I arrived in Matara for the first time, the LTTE executed a stunning attack on Galle’s naval port, killing one soldier. While the battle itself was considerably one-sided (these were grenade-throwing rebels in powerboats going up against military battleships and destroyers), its intent was psychological, and it worked. The first LTTE attack in the South in recent memory terrified everybody across the region. The principal had to give a short speech to the students, many from Galle, to calm them down and quell rumors. Hotel bookings fell briefly but dramatically in the southern beach towns. Thankfully, the Galle attack was the only one nearby.

What else happened? There were a few bombings of military trucks at or near bases, mostly in Anuradhapura and Colombo. A big LTTE convoy boat was shelled and sunk about 100 miles off the coast of Matara by vigilant government forces. A few parliamentarians were assassinated; the President’s brother (also the Defense Minister) narrowly escaped a bomb attack in Colombo. International diplomats were killed in Batticaloa

All attacks have been confined to military or political targets–with one exception. I think it was in March when a suicide bomber blew up a southbound Colombo-Matara bus full of ordinary people. That bus is the most commonly traveled line in the southwest–I’ve ridden that route many, many times to get to Galle, Unawatuna, Hikkaduwa, or Colombo. Nerissa asked that I avoid riding on buses for a few weeks following that bombing near Aluthgama, so that was a little dicey.

And then there’s, of course, the nighttime LTTE air raid on the military base whose same runway is also used by Sri Lanka’s international airport north of Colombo. The attack was notable because it represented the first time worldwide that a terrorist group had successfully acquired air power. It was stunning and caught the government forces by surprise. For weeks after that, the runway was closed at night, forcing the airlines to shuffle their schedules to daytime-only flights. It only reopened for night departures and arrivals a week before I left Sri Lanka. It had an impact even in Matara; Ginette, Fiona, and I were trying to get school team uniforms made, but the supply of our preferred fabric quickly dried up due to fewer airplanes bringing in imports from other countries. I did wonder about the remote possibility that the airport could be closed all the time; if so, I would have been stranded in Sri Lanka.

And since then, as I said, the violence has increased, and now the cease-fire has been officially voided. Still, I wouldn’t be deterred from a return trip to Sri Lanka. I get daily news updates via Google and from what I’ve read, I would feel safe going back tomorrow if I could. It’s all a matter of knowing where you’re headed and what you’re doing. Stick to the south, the beaches, and the tourist attractions central highlands, and you’ll be fine. It’s more sensible to be afraid of getting into a vehicle crash on the busy roads–a typical feature of South Asia–than being blown up by a LTTE suicide bomber.

I know my friends back in Sri Lanka are fine–Matara and the south are safe. I’m just sad and disappointed that an ethnic conflict that has taken 70,000 lives shows no sign of slowing down; it, in fact, seems to be accelerating. Is it too audacious to hope for peace in Sri Lanka someday?

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The Class of 2007

Remember my two blogs about graduation last December? (1. Run-Up To Graduation. 2. The Class of 2006.)

Well, a few weeks ago, I awoke with a start, realizing that graduation was once again just around the corner. And this time, I was 10,000 miles away. Despite all the hard work I put into the ceremony last year (printing the diplomas and getting the gowns made), I was certain that without some reminding, the school would likely completely forget about this occasion like they did before I came to Sri Lanka.

So I quickly sent off an e-mail to David, asking him to remind Mr. Abeygunawardana about graduation. The gowns were inside a large pink plastic bag locked up in one of the gray cabinets in the principal’s office, a monk should probably be called to attend, I could print out diplomas, laminate them, and mail them to the school, and the parents should be notified well in advance so they can make the trip to Matara.

Lo and behold, a week later, David responds with incredible news. Mr. Abeygunawardana and the school have already set everything up–the diplomas are ready; the parents have been notified; the gowns have been found. No foreigner’s finger was lifted in the making of this production.

Wow. Some things do continue after the foreigner has left. Sustainability does happen. I’m so happy. And without further ado, here are a couple photos from the December 7 ceremony:

Sandya, Chamali, Pasan, Jeewaka Gayan, Sanjeewa.

Sandya, Sanjeewa, Pasan, Mr. Abeygunawardana (Principal), Jeewaka Gayan, Chamali.

These photos thrill me to no end because it’s the very first time I’ve seen anyone from the school since I left nearly six months ago. It’s so good to see their faces again. I’m a bit puzzled because Dilhani was supposed to graduate as well, but she’s not in the pictures. Hmm.

Best of luck to the Class of 2007 on their O/L exams this week!

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Introducing Sri Lankan Sign Language: The Dictionary

I’m really proud to finally announce this project. I’ve kept it somewhat under wraps waiting until the actual product was finished, and now it is!

It is: Introducing Sri Lankan Sign Language! This is Sri Lanka’s first-ever conversational sign language dictionary, with more than 350 illustrated signs categorized by topic area and compiled in a sturdy, 120-page softcover book. It is also fully bilingual, with each sign illustration accompanied by its Sinhala and English translations, and all introductory text written in both languages. There’s even two indexes for quick reference: one in Sinhala and one in English.

More than twenty people worked together, often from far-flung locations around the world, on this project for a year to bring it to fruition. It’s not an easy thing to make a dictionary, particularly when working with three different languages–Sinhala, English, and Sri Lankan Sign Language–at the same time. The list of contributors include Rohana Special School staff, volunteers from Matara and beyond, and foreigners who contributed their time and talents to set this milestone in the development of sign language literacy and deaf awareness in Sri Lanka.

This project was borne out of a need for a simple, easy-to-use dictionary which grouped signs in topics such as Greetings, Questions, School, Family, Food, and Transportation, and also incorporated complete, conversational expressions in Sri Lankan Sign Language like “The jacket is brown.” or “When are we going to play cricket?” Also included are illustrations for expressing numbers and both the Sinhala and English fingerspelling alphabets. The book has also been designed so that chapters increasingly build on vocabulary gained in earlier chapters, making it an useful tool for anyone who wishes to teach or learn Sri Lankan Sign Language.

As mentioned in the book’s preface, the dictionary does not attempt to be the standard for Sri Lankan Sign Language across Sri Lanka, as the language has many local dialects corresponding to the major schools for the deaf. Instead, it is intended to be used to communicate with members of the Rohana Special School community and with deaf people across the Southern Province as it uses the dialect developed at the school.

To take a look at the full dictionary or any of its individual chapters, please visit Rohana Special School’s new dictionary page. Copies are now being distributed to school staff and families of Rohana Special School pupils and other interested persons. I’ve also made sure to send two copies to the libraries at RIT/NTID and Gallaudet so that students and faculty can have an opportunity to incorporate Sri Lankan Sign Language in their research projects or simply review it for personal learning.

We haven’t quite settled on a worldwide distribution solution yet, but if you’re located in Sri Lanka, it should be simple for the school to mail you a copy.

As an extra bonus, the Rohana Special School song is also included in the foreword section, translated for the first time ever into English. Take a look at it! I have a video of it which I plan to upload soon, complete with subtitles. Thanks to everybody–from London to Matara and beyond–who made this exciting project happen!

The citation for this book, in APA style (thanks, Paula!), is:

Stone, A. (2007). An introduction to Sri Lankan Sign Language. (Ed.). Sri Lanka: Karunaratne & Sons. ISBN 978-955-1788-00-1.

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Updates From Ceylon

Life in Sri Lanka does go on, and things do keep improving, with or without the help of foreign volunteers.

One of the most challenging parts of working in a foreign country is creating sustainable solutions. In other words, you might be working super hard on a project. Anticipating your departure, you’ll train a few locals to take over the work after you leave. But as soon as you do, it falls apart. Your project isn’t adopted and merged into “the usual way things are.”

It’s a story that has repeated itself over countless times throughout history, and Rohana is no exception. Even today, I wonder if they’re buying replacement whiteboard marker pens for the classrooms or if they’ve just taken the easier, cheaper route and switched back to blackboards. Whether the new library card system is still working. Whether Lakmal is still working as a carpenter apprentice or not. Whether that women’s bag-making workshop still meets every week to manufacture purses to sell in the West.

Which is why updates from Sri Lanka always delight me. It’s proof that there are still people helping out and that things are still pressing forth.

Here’s an update from the Ruhunu Sumaga Circle of the Deaf, Matara’s deaf association with whom I worked often:

on this month (September 23) we did celeberate our Deaf day at Uyanwattha Stadium. our All members ware come at there (295 members) and we all happy on that day. we will held on that day 3 programmes. its 1. blood Donation( wow..its hear to good news. because this is first time blood donation programme in deaf persons in sri lanka. our 56 deaf persons did give thier blood.) 2. eye glass Donation( free give for more than 35 members) 3. travel for get donation to our deaf Association on sep 21 and 22. Also we create new t shirt for our deaf association.

we start new bank for deaf persons Saving and getting loans its Name “SANASA”. we think its more help to our deaf persons future life.

A savings and loan bank for deaf people? A blood drive with deaf donors? All new things, and all wonderful signs of progress.

The blood drive.

A vision exam.

New shirts for the members.

In other news, last August the charity Rebuilding Sri Lanka (RSL) opened its new school, library, and IT center in Uragasmanhandiya, a poor rural area northeast of Ambalangoda. To date, this school has already nabbed 500 members for the library and and 150 children for English tuition classes.

RSL’s school opening.

But RSL is dear to me because they have been the biggest supporters of Anoja Weerasinghe’s dance troupe. Anoja is one of Sri Lanka’s most famous film stars, and routinely puts on stage performances throughout Sri Lanka. Last October, we watched her group put on Mother Courage, performed in Sinhala!

In creative collaboration with Wolfgang Stange of AMICI Dance Theatre Company in London, Anoja has been working for two and a half years with Rohana Special School’s deaf and disabled children, planning and rehearsing a new dance performance: Memories of a Monkey Boy. Based on several grassroots stories about the 2004 tsunami, the cast includes both Anoja’s professional dancers and Rohana’s children.

While I was in Sri Lanka, Anoja’s group came three times for multiple-day rehearsals in Rohana’s main hall. All day, parents and children would peer from outside through the main hall’s windows enraptured by the music, the dancing, the star power, and the talent. For many deaf and disabled Rohana pupils who were chosen to be part of the final cast for Monkey Boy, it’s been a tremendous source of self-worth as they realize they have just as much skill and stage presence as any other dancer.

Actors flee the “tsunami.”

A scene from Monkey Boy.

Sanjeewa has fun in the congo line.

According to RSL:

[Last September,] the cast of deaf and differently abled children put on an astonishing show leading to standing ovations from the packed auditorium every single night!! Two of the actors have since been offered acting parts on TV and film. RSL have been actively involved in supporting this school and their production since March 2005 so it was very moving for us to see these children shine so brightly and to be given opportunities which had previously been an impossible dream.

There’s now the possibility that Monkey Boy might have a showing in London next June. That’s right. Some of my kids at Rohana might be going to the United Kingdom!! We’ll need to raise money first so you’ll definitely be hearing about this again shortly!

So there you have it. Two updates–and proof that life goes on in Sri Lanka and that people are still helping make wonderful things happen.

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