A North-South exchange to facilitate an authentic link between the South and the North through the representation of traditional knowledge was held last weekend (February 26–27) at the Northern Governor Secretariat in Jaffna under the direction and participation of Governor for the Northern Province Jeevan Thiagarajah.
The program runs parallel with the formal initiative taken by Governor Thiagarajah to set up a platform to record, preserve and promote all forms of traditional knowledge of the Northern Province and will thereby be used to link with other parts of the country for reviving and using such knowledge innovatively for creating local solutions for national concerns.
 Gayathri Rasiah, presenting the book on her father Asai Rasiah’s |
The North South Exchange highlighting traditional knowledge was supported by the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR), initiated by Governor Jeevan Thiagarajah and facilitated by the Northern Governor Secretariat.
The program was conceptualised and coordinated by the writer who promotes the policy mainstreaming of traditional knowledge and natural and intangible heritage for a holistic peace-building and economic development model.
The February 26–27 event is to be the first step of a long term plan to create a traditional knowledge and intangible cultural heritage focused national peace-building model for Sri Lanka that will prioritise country based concerns. The South team of the North South exchange program comprised Kalutharage Sampath Wedamahattaya, the young physician (trained in Western science and traditional medicine) who has handled pandemic time crisis, Editor of the magazine section of the Aruna newspaper Anupama Galkadawela, Udayasiri Wickramarathna, Southern Theatre practitioner and producer of popular Sinhala Drama Suddek Oba Amathai, H. P. Nilanka Nisalangal Dharmadasa, young dramatist of the South who won the highest number of awards at last year’s drama awards festival, G. Wijesekera, one of the few Sinhalese writing poetry in Tamil (self taught in the language), Hishantha Daminda Peiris who combines traditional medicine and hoteliering and Choolani Nawarathna, Open University Mass Communication student who being equally proficient in Sinhala and Tamil was the translator for the event.
The North representatives included,S. Pathmanathan (Sopa), Gayathri Rasiah Sreetharan, daughter of North’s legend artist Asiah Rasiah, Sujeewa Sivadas, former Director of the North Cultural Department, Sivasundarasharma Rajamalikai, current Director of the North Cultural Department, L. Illangowan, Secretary, Provincial Ministry of Local Government, Northern Province and S. Divakalala, retired former Education Secretary – North and East along with writers and artistes of the North. The visual recording of the event was facilitated by the Jaffna university under the direction of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sivakolundu Srisatkunarajah and head of the Media Studies, Dr. S. Raguram.
The team of academics and students from the Jaffna University Media Studies Unit carried out the video recording of the event. Dr. S. Raguram whose PhD focus was on using Tamil Folk Media in Development Communication is currently assisting the follow up creation of video productions that will focus on diverse aspects of traditional knowledge not only of the North but also of other parts of the country which will complement the overall intention to preserve traditional knowledge in all parts of the country and use it for a national peace-building model.
Renowned artistes
A key focus of the February 26 event was the introduction of the most renowned and senior most artistes of Jaffna and their works to the South, through the Sinhala representatives who took part in the exchange program.
 Head of North Culture Dept |
These senior writers knew Sri Lanka at a different timeframe, dating back to when Sri Lanka did not know strife of the kind that the nation witnessed for 30 years, ending in 2009.
Thus, the North South Exchange marked its highlight in hosting the launch of the latest poetry book by Jaffna’s poetic icon, S. Pathmanathan (better known as Sopa) and the launch of the book version of the drama Heaven with Hell by still living 91-year old Jaffna based legend of Northern theatre, Kulanthai Shanmugalingam.
The book Vhimbam, on the art and life of Jaffna’s foremost artist genius, Asai Rasiah was re-launched posthumously alongside an exhibition of his paintings.
The art exhibition and discussion at the Art Gallery of the Centre for Performing Arts in Jaffna was an emotional moment for all who knew the art dedicated life of Asai Rasiah.
The book by Sopa (82 years) that was launched was titled ‘Down Memory Lane’, recollecting narratives from childhood that speak of Tamil culture and individual experiences of childhood within the North and Sri Lankan context.
The drama Heaven with Hell that was released in book form by Kulandai Shanmugalingam speaks of aspects such as migration and social mobility within Tamil society and combines philosophical aspects such as attachment and detachment and spirituality with worldly components such as family responsibility.
While the earlier mentioned books are in English, the book Vhimbham on the life and work of Asai Rasaih is in Tamil and captures photographs painted over five decades that are of varying styles and colour and denoting the very psyche of the North, especially as he captures in portrait form almost every intellectual, scholar and artist of Jaffna. The art exhibition of Asai Rasaiah held at the Art Gallery of the Centre for Performing Arts was one of the first such exposures organised in Jaffna of a scale that included Southern visitors.
Governor Jeevan Thiagarajah, who was presented with these books by the authors at the North South Exchange program, spoke of the need to use these veteran artistesto promote the current use of arts and culture for a better understanding among communities.
He also announced the follow up action that will be taken to set up a task force for working with artistes and writers, to explore the encouragement of publications from the North.
The current Director General of ONUR, Deepthi Lamahewa, in his message to the above event, said it could mark a meaningful journey to look at how key national concerns could be interwoven within the context of promoting national unity, while identifying citizens who actively work for Sri Lanka in their different capacities and working with national universities, academics and artistes.
February 27 marked an interaction with rural North small scale female entrepreneurs. The next follow up event is to be organized end of March.
Governor of the North in conversation with North and South representatives