Part 2: The state of Sri Lanka
Author: Anastasia Pinkse
Editor: Elisah Sauerbier, Kintan van Leeuwen
In this article, part 2 on postcolonialism, we turn the page from what postcolonialism is and which countries it applies to, to a more specific case: the current state of Sri Lanka. In recent years, Sri Lanka and its citizens have suffered a lot, which was widely spread on international news channels. A few examples; are the tsunami in South-East Asia in 2004, the civil war in Sri Lanka that ended in 2009, the more recent 'Easter Bombings' in Sri Lanka in 2019, the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak since 2020 and currently, the economic crisis and the associated uprisings between the state and Sri Lanka’s citizens as a result. The economy, education, health care, labour market and tourism sector have often been affected by these events throughout Sri Lanka's history. This has caused a lot of instability in the lives of Sri Lankan citizens but has also been passed on to newer generations through generational trauma. In this article, we are going to look into the question of whether the state of Sri Lanka could be connected to postcolonialism and its theories, which were discussed in ‘part 1: What is postcolonialism?’.
Postcolonialism in Sri Lanka
The phenomenon of postcolonialism has been dissected and a variety of theories have been explained in ‘part 1: What is postcolonialism?’. However, more questions arise when we turn our attention to one of the postcolonial countries where we carry out our development cooperation projects to date: Sri Lanka. How has postcolonialism affected Sri Lanka? In which ways can the discussed theories provide an explanation? In this article, we look at how certain phenomena in Sri Lanka can be explained on the basis of theories about post-colonialism. We will use the previously discussed theories of postcolonialism as a red thread. Based on these theories, we will assess the state of postcolonial Sri Lanka.
Wretched of the Earth
The book Wretched of the Earth (1961) has been written by Franz Fanon, as discussed in part 1. Fanon theorizes that colonialism is based on a totalizing system of violence (1961). Meaning, colonialism did not only violate humans on a physical, political and economic level, but also on a psychological, social and cultural level. This resulted in integrated discriminatory views among the society on descendants of the colonized nations, which has even led to racism. Fanon argues that the only way to build up a new equal and fraternal future is through a revolution by violence. The theory of Fanon could explain the rise of violent protests which have taken place in Sri Lanka’s capital city, Colombo, in May 2022 Sri Lanka: Government Backers Attack Peaceful Protesters | Human Rights Watch.
An activist shouts and holds up burning bread as he protests rising living costs at the entrance of the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Tuesday.
Source: Ishara S. Kodikara / AFP via Getty Images
According to Human Right Watch, an NGO focused on defending human rights, government supporters had taken the streets on May 9 to burn the tents of peaceful protesters, and even attack them with clubs and other weapons Sri Lanka: Government Backers Attack Peaceful Protesters | Human Rights Watch. These actions resulted in a counter-reaction from the peaceful protesters, causing anger and turning violent as they set government buildings up in flames. One might wonder why government supporters would lash out against the protesters, as they both suffer from the consequences of the decisions made by the government. However, Fanon has a theory for this phenomenon, described in the following words in his book: “But in general, the workers of Europe have not replied to these calls; for the workers believe, too, that they are part of the prodigious adventure of the European spirit” (2021, p. 313). In his book, Fanon references Europe, however, this quote can also be applied to the government supporters in Sri Lanka who attacked the protesters. The government supporters believe in the governmental system, even when it does not benefit its citizens, and blindly follow the rules of those in power. Even when this is as much to the detriment of the government supporters, they see themselves as part of the elite, the ruling minority of Sri Lanka. In advance, the government supporters believe that protesting against the government is unnecessary and are thereby escaping the reality which all of Sri Lanka’s citizens are in.
The surge of violence which has taken place in Sri Lanka is a clear example of what Fanon theorized in his book Wretched of the Earth. How the people in Sri Lanka still feel unheard and unsupported by the government and by any means necessary try to persuade the government to listen, even if this is through violence. As the people of Sri Lanka see violence as the last and only resort to break the shackles of government oppression and postcolonialism.
Orientalism
Orientalism (1978) is a book and study done by Edward Said, who examined the investigations done by western scholars and writers on Eastern cultures. According to Said, Orientalism is a point of view found in literature and eastern studies where the preconceived notion is that the west is superior to the east. However, the concept of Orientalism is dynamic, as Said argues that Orientalism has also slightly changed ever since the attack on 9/11. After the attack, Muslims and Arabic (looking) people were perceived as terrorists and are still discriminated against by the majority of the west. However, Muslim and Arabic (looking) people have also been a subject of Orientalism before the 9/11 attacks, which is portrayed in paintings from the 19th and early 20th century.
Charles Théodore Frère, Grand Pyramid de Gyzeh, n.d., oil on panel, 8 1⁄2 × 15 1⁄8".
How did Orientalism shape Sri Lanka and are they struggling with stigmatization?
Sri Lanka is an interesting melting pot of cultures. According to a report made by the United States Department of State, there are four religions practised in Sri Lanka: 70.2% of the population is Buddhist, 12.6% are Hindu, 9.7% is Muslim and 7.4% is Christian (United States Department of State, 2018). In the same report, it is stated that over several years Muslims and Christians have been attacked and discriminated against by Buddhist practitioners, as well as government officials and police officers often sided with the religious majority - the Buddhists (United States Department of State, 2018). In a way, this behaviour of discrimination against the minority can be seen as having an orientalist perspective. As they perceive religious minorities as outsiders, the ones who are different from the status quo. These minorities are seen as unworthy or less than others, which has even been reflected in a supreme court ruling in Sri Lanka. In 2003 the supreme court determined that according to the constitution, the state is required to protect only Buddhism, whereas other religions do not have that same right to state protection (United States Department of State, 2018).
To conclude, the concept of Orientalism maintains the mentality of “the other is less than”. This mentality will create stereotypes of minorities resulting in discrimination towards these minorities, which in Sri Lanka’s case are Muslims and Christians. This mentality and behaviour result in a segregated society, just like the one in Mannar, where we are building a preschool.
Neo-colonialism
Another important scholar within postcolonialism is Kwame Nkrumah, an anti-colonialist who wrote the book Neo-colonialism: The last stage of imperialism (1965). According to Nkrumah, the essence of neo-colonialism is that the state in theory is independent, however, the economic system and the political policies are all directed from the outside. Many newly independent states suffer from this, as is the case with Sri Lanka. According to an article published by the Washington Post, China has been a major contributor to Sri Lanka’s economy, including the collapse of the current crisis (Tharoor, 2022). China loaned a sum of close to 12 million dollars to Sri Lanka over two decades, largely due to infrastructure projects which Sri Lanka is still unable to pay back, this results in China owning the Sri Lankan economy. Critics of China call this practice “debt trap diplomacy” (Tharoor, 2022).
One of the infrastructure projects was the port in the town of Hambantota, where China invested over 1.2 billion dollars, according to an article published by the Associated Press (Jayawardena, 2017). This debt trap diplomacy is what Kwame Nkrumah meant when talking about neocolonialism. China is meddling in Sri Lanka’s politics and economics and exploiting the nation's vulnerabilities disguised by providing aid, all the while benefiting themselves. Even though Sri Lanka has been independent since 1948 and is considered to be an independent country, it still did not fully recover and still struggles to find economic independence. Sri Lanka is kept under a spell by rich and influential countries such as China which charms Sri Lanka with financial aid. Resulting in Sri Lanka being possessed by China, the only way for Sri Lanka to break the spell is to find financial freedom soon.
Conclusion
In this article, we looked at how certain phenomena in Sri Lanka can be explained on the basis of theories about post-colonialism. Sri Lanka is a nation which still suffers from postcolonialism, as it struggles to find its autonomy as a part of this world and its system. Not only is Sri Lanka struggling with other countries meddling in internal affairs. As is suggested by the results of the report by the United States Department of State Sri Lanka struggles with a cultural hegemony, where Buddhists are seen as the ruling class, backed up by the government all the while other religions are seen as second class.
One thing which we want to highlight is the effect this has on the development of children in Sri Lanka. It brings a lot of difficulties and limitations to growing up in an unsafe and unstable environment. The protests have shown that the people in Sri Lanka are asking for change, but how do we make sure that their children won’t have to face the same difficulties in the future? At Little Leaders foundation, we believe that the answer to that question is (preschool) education. Because early childhood development lays the foundation for how a child will represent themself and treat others in the future as an adult. It’s never too early to teach children about treating others - regardless of their differences - as equals, with respect and compassion.
Little Trees Nurtury in Mannar
Together with Bridging Lanka and Hüsk, we are building a preschool in a divided community of Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians in Mannar (Sri Lanka). We will welcome every child regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or cultural background, to learn and grow in the supportive environment of Little Trees Nurtury. In terms of education, we nurture a fresh approach to early childhood education and will provide holistic education at Little Trees Nurtury. By building the preschool, we only provide what the children already have the right to: an education that supports their future but also provides hope for their community.
Amongst that, the preschool will be a place where Mannar’s youth will get acquainted with different cultures and religions. Where children can learn from their differences and learn how their actions affect others. We will encourage them to see that they are all Little Leaders and that through their voice and power, they can change the future of Sri Lanka. They are the leaders who will break the shackles of postcolonialism and establish a fraternal and equal Sri Lanka for all citizens, regardless of cultural or religious differences.
