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“We’re all human, listen well” - Sarah Kabir

07 Oct 2018

Sri Lankan researcher and author Sarah Kabir released her book ‘Voices of Peace’ on 26 September. With its unique format of storytelling, Sarah’s book offers a total of 20 individual accounts of active agents in the war; ten former LTTE cadres, and ten ex-Sri Lankan military personnel. Their stories are accompanied by compelling images captured by photographer Munira Mutaher. In discussing what led her to choose this particular area as content for her first book; Sarah provided that the idea occurred to her when she was working in Cambodia, and she came across a project where they collected personal accounts of armed troupes in Myanmar, Cambodia and the Philippines. She said, “I was always interested in research and being from Sri Lanka, reconciliation and conflict resolution was a key area of interest.” After getting to know about the project, she got involved in it to the capacity of having to conduct some research to develop a methodology to best portray these individual accounts. This subsequently fuelled her desire to bring this conversation of post-conflict reconciliation to the forefront by means of a distinctive format. Storytelling was the methodology Sarah used to portray these armed men and women. Speaking about her decision to focus on active agents from the war on her book she recalled, “I feel that those who were in the front-lines, the ones who took up arms, their voices are not heard,” adding that, “they’re painted as killers and nobody listens to them.” [gallery columns="1" link="file" size="full" ids="7764,7765,7766"] Narrating the story of post-conflict reconciliation She recalls a quote from a speech made at a BOND Conference by a person who was of an armed conflict who said; “talk to us, not about us,” which, to Sarah, was something that was truly striking and it stuck with her, which then further ignited her drive to take on this idea of storytelling as a method of post-conflict reconciliation. Sarah added; “I felt that this was really important, to hear their voices, which I felt as what was missing in the reconciliation process.” She also stated that there is an element of empowerment in being given the opportunity and a platform to tell one’s story, its cathartic; “during the time of war, those whom were in the front lines, they were active agents. But in the peace process, they’re relegated to passive witnesses and so, they lose all feelings of empowerment. I believe that this can also be a means of empowering such people in a positive way.” Speaking about the brand of peace and reconciliation that is being doled out in the current global format Sarah said that; “it is progressing,” and that there has been recognition of oral history and memorialisation as a method of reconciliation. She further notes that; “there is power in storytelling and while it is not enough, the world is moving towards a more empathetic individualistic reconciliation, and slowly, but surely, we are getting there.” However, she mentioned that; “it is most important to always remind ourselves of how far we have come.” A resounding success As for the reception she has received, for her book Sarah said she is extremely pleased. While for her it was two years of immersive study and when she eventually did come out on the other side, she had naturally gotten accustomed to her idea, she went on to say; “I had assumed that this wouldn’t feel too new to Sri Lankans, because in my mind I thought, surely we’ve all heard a story or two of this nature.” But what surprised her the most was to see people’s reactions, and the ultimate revelation that they have not seen something like this before. “I did not expect for it to be received so widely and positively,” she said. Adding that, it’s most humbling and satisfying to witness people talking about the individuals who shared their stories, and attempting to understand their lives and their circumstances. “It is a wonderful reminder I think for people that we are all human.” Sarah said; “fundamentally I wanted to portray to the reader; that these individuals, who were once in a battlefield, some even pit against each other, are now able to take a step back and empathise. If they’re able to do that, then there’s no reason why we all cannot follow suit.” Sarah stressed that; “Voices of Peace encourages every reader to not just talk about these stories, but to listen.” She further elaborated that; “the importance of listening is one of the main messages I’d like to pass on.” Finally, about the future, Sarah plans to get ‘Voices of Peace’ translated into both Tamil and Sinhala, and to distribute it in schools, if not as part of a syllabus then as complementary reading material; which would enable children to learn about the importance of listening and the nature of war from a more humanising perspective. By Dimithri Wijesinghe Photos Indika Handuwela

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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!


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