When I was in East Sri Lanka  recently I met a retired school teacher, aged 74. I talked with him to get an idea about the thinking of Tamil people at this time. He said “I have seen so many dead bodies so I don’t want to see that again. I don’t know whether the government can take care of and support us to solve our problems but still I have a hope.” It seems that people still live in hope for peace and justice in Sri Lanka.

Buddhika Harshadeva, Insight on Conflict Sri Lanka Local Correspondent. 27 May 2010.

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From viewing the offensive clip, I believe that the inclusion of the Buddha Statue was not purposefully done with the intent to insult the religion from Akon’s point of view. Nevertheless, I am sad about the absence of cultural sensitivity in Akon that this indicates, especially as a popular star.

My focus in this story goes beyond this single incident: it is about the politics of using this unrest to curtail the democratic rights of the Sri Lankan citizens. The main media sponsor of Akon’s visit was a popular, private television station that often takes an alternative voice from the mainstream government news streams. An organized attack was directed at this media station, using the excuse of the Buddhist opposition towards Akon’s visit. Several people were injured in this attack and 16 people were arrested by police. Rumors are circulating that the organisation of this gang can be traced to a certain Minister of the government. But no one wants to turn against him because his brute power is stronger than the democratic values of the country.

Buddhika Harshadeva, Sri Lanka Local Correspondent, 29 March 2010

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Samadeepa Samaja Kendraya was officially registered in 1980, though it’s roots stretch back to 1973, when the Jaffna Secretariat Buddhist Association, which published a magazine named “Samadeep”, aimed at promoting inter-racial harmony and inter-religious understanding. The term ‘Samadeepa’ has two meanings: on one hand it means ‘Light of Peace’, and on the other it means ‘Land of Peace’. Therefore, it defines itself as an organisation that brings light of peace for a land of peace.

In the national networks, Samadeepa has brought together the four main religious groups in Sri Lanka and established a location as a spiritual base for all the religions. This is intended to be a place where all religions are treated equally and discussions are conducted with the contribution of all religions. This is a major achievement in the perspective of the ethno-religious divisions in the country.

As an organisation, Samadeepa has learnt that cultural traditions and roots are extremely important in all peace building and social harmony endeavours. The activities conducted by organisations have more potential to be successful if they draw from and respect the cultural roots of the relevant group of people.

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Support the work of this organisation

CPBR aims to bridge divisions in Sri Lanka by creating networked peacebuilding groups in diverse areas of the country, simultaneously empowering communities to address their own needs and raising awareness of the similarity of such needs across the country’s ethnic boundaries.

CPBR conducts workshops, dialogues, gatherings and camps on peacebuilding and conflict transformation. Through these methods they aim to promote awareness, empower, mobilise, strengthen and unite different groups of people belonging to all ethnicities and religions from different parts of the country in achieving a just, acceptable political solution to the ethnic conflict. CPBR’s approach is to select groups that can make a powerful impact on the conflict and to work with them, enabling them to gradually expand through widespread networking to make their shared vision come true.

CPBR workshop

CPBR aims to strengthen, mobilise and network these particular multi-ethnic, multi-religious groups around the country to promote and demand a political solution to the ethnic conflict, based on equality, justice and inclusion. The aim is that each groups will take responsibility for the task initiated by CPBR and create a social movement for peace. A social movement for peace emerging from the people is CPBR’s ultimate objective.

Young Visionaries

The Young Visionaries programme trains young people to be leaders in conflict transformation. The Young Visionaries are trained in conflict transformation and non-violent direct action skills, and also in how to find spaces for peacebuilding.

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In recognition of PHPO’s contribution to promote interaction and cooperation between different ethnicities, the organisation was invited as a Civil Society representative for a discussion at the Peace Secretariat in Vaunia with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan Government.

Nidahase Wedikawa (Stage for freedom)

PHPO are currently involved in the Nidahase Wedikawa project, in which a number of civil society organisations operating in Kekirawa region coordinate and mobilise together to act as agents against the war, violence and harassment.

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Currently Jeewa Shakthi aims to mobilise people at the grassroots level to achieve a sustainable peace in the country by both promoting awareness around, and encouraging the practice of, democracy, and providing training that gives people the practical skills in conflict transformation and prevention which are lacking in Sri Lankan society.

Good governance through political coexistance

Election violence has been one of the main threats to community peace for many years. The Good Governance initiative deals with this head on by bringing community leaders and politicians together to put a stop to outbreaks of violence, giving the individual communities a political voice during the election process.

Jeewa Shakthi selected an area that had reported some of the highest levels of violence in previous elections and sought agreement from all politicians standing for election to abide by responsible campaigning practices. After Jeewa Shakthi’s intervention there was not a single report of election violence in the following election, something all parties – police, the community, and politicians – put down to the success of the project.

Conflict management and federalism – workshop series

This initiative works to reduce conflict within communities by educating leadership figures in methods of securing peace through awareness, negotiation and reconciliation. The community leaders are taken on a field tour and participate in a training and workshop programme to educate them in methods they can employ to keep conflict at bay within their own villages.

The participants also had their prejudices challenged through exposure to the lives of groups they had little understanding of. For example, some participants were very much against the concept that Tamils face problems in Sri Lanka, and as such were taken to visit the Tamil refugee camps. One participant in particular was so moved by the state in which the refugees have been living for the past 10-15 years used all the money he had with him  to buy biscuits for the Tamil children in the refugee camp, despite being one of those most vocal in thier opposition to the idea Tamil people face any hardship in Sri Lanka.

Street drama program for the presidential election in 2005

Jeewa Shakthi organised a street drama group performance to promote peaceful voting before the presidential election in 2005. The performances were successful in reducing election tension that often results in violence. Staging drama performances in the areas that had previously been dangerous at election times enabled them to educate the communities of the need for responsible actions, from both the political parties and the voters themselves.

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South Exchange Programme

This project involved an exchange programme between Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim people, visiting each others communities and participating together in community activities. The aim is to develop long term relationships, mutual respect, and understanding. The participants themselves followed up on their experiences through business ventures, and today this has become the mainstay of the initiative.

Peace Network

This initiative is intended to create a network that allows the sharing of accurate information as fast as possible on conflict situations. The development of an early warning system allows the news of conflict or planned acts of violence to be disseminated as quickly as possible and acted upon immediately.

As a result of this initiative HREPO have a widespread network that reaches out to all levels of the community. This network of people provides them with fast, reliable information on possible conflict situations occurring in the community. Consequently they have been able to successfully act during the first stages of conflicts for there resolution. The network is formed of people from all levels of the community, and the regular presence of key people in the meetings has had an impact on the villagers, as shown by a recorded decrease of conflicts.

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National Youth Survey

SPARC are currently undertaking a survey of young people nationwide, including in the North & East, in order to gather information that will inform the development of a national youth policy under the government’s Youth Ministry.

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Having conducted peace-related work for over twenty years, they have realised that for a lasting, powerful impact on a national level, the country needs a peace movement that unites and covers the entire island. Currently they have independent entities working for peace through isolated initiatives, but their work would be more effective if these organisations unite and work as a single body.

Cultural Group for Peace (Sama Sanskruthika Parshadaya)

Samasevaya supports a group young people from different ethnicities who write, perform, and record music about peace. Their aim is to popularise the Sri Lankan peace process and bring different ethnicities together.

The group composes the music themselves, and performs their songs in villages and at special events. These events, arranged through Samasevaya, are not limited to peace activities, and therefore allow a broad range of audiences to be reached. The group’s songs are also broadcast throughout the country via the provincial radio station, Rajarata Sevaya.

Inter-religious Trust-building Activities

This project brings together the various religious groups of Sri Lanka, and helps them understand how their religions share core beliefs about the importance of building peace together. At least two major annual gatherings of people from all religions are held in a neutral public place. These gatherings are used to share the non-violent values and teachings that form the core of all religions. They also offer an opportunity for religious clergy to meet and pray together, according to their own religions, for the united cause of peace for the country.

Inter-ethnic Exchange Programmes

Since 2002 Samasevaya has been facilitating Sinhalese visits from Anuradhapura to Tamil areas in Jaffna, and vice versa. The aim is to create acceptance, understanding and a feeling of unity between the two ethnic groups by giving them the opportunity to observe the cultural aspects of Tamil and Sinhalese life, and through this, learn the similarities and differences between them. The scheme also gives participants an opportunity to experience the lifestyle of the other ethnicity, as well as their food and culture, and gives them an opportunity to witness the impact of war on the other ethnicity. The visits are followed up with training sessions and workshops in peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

Environment Protection Program

Samasevaya have recently established an environmental protection program in the Anuradapura region, with the objective of supporting peace through the promotion of environmental peace.

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