This is such an important perspective for reconciliation written by my daughter Natasha who is conducting research in this area. There is a lot of misunderstandings due to brainwashing and personal experiences. However at a personal level there is a different dynamic. It is these one on one conversations that makes people realize the truth and the value of each other. It helps us celebrate the diversity and re-discover our unity. I know the office of national unity, headed by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has worked and is working towards creating such conversations. Lets hope this process is accelerated so that we can experience reconciliation and achieve real healing!
Been on my fieldwork in Sri Lanka has inspired me to write a blog post about why I’m so interested in pursuing the topic of transitional justice and reconciliation for my PhD research project. In academia we seldom get to talk about our personal views, so this defining moment for me always gets stored at the back of my mind where the cobwebs live. But, so many people I met on a professional level have asked me, why? why reconciliation?
When I first moved to London, in 2012, and started my new job, a colleague, a young Sri Lankan Tamil gentleman (H) approached me and we started getting to know each other, moving on to the ‘where are you from originally’, we were both stunned to realise that we have something else in common; Sri Lanka. But there was also something else that could have stopped our friendship from growing…
Ranjan De Silva 