Sri Lanka is tri-lingual. Sinhalese and Tamil are official languages as well as English which is considered the "link language". It is important for children to read in their mother tongue in all countries but this has taken on political significance here. Because Sri Lankans revere education, the validation of both cultures through preserving the languages in its literature acknowledges and respects both the Sinhalese and Tamil heritage of this nation.
Who would have thought children's books could have such an important function to a whole society and its politics? Kids books are something we take for granted. They've been part of American culture for a hundred years. In poorer societies, they've not existed at all. Local Language Publishing is an important function of RtR. We saw an impressive display of kids books in all three languages.
We met local authors and illustrators. They are all self-taught. I am in awe looking at the drawings.
One artist asked to draw my portrait. I pulled out my sketchbook and with a laugh, offered to draw him, in return. It was fun to exchange our 5 minute sketches of each other.
Previous to the recent advent of children's books, students learned by rote memorization and have not been learning to read for pleasure. In the past, kids had learned to "answer the questions but not question the answers".
It is fun to think of kids now discovering the delight in a good story and to have their curiosity stimulated through attractive books written just for them.
As well as the political strife, in 2004 a devastating tsunami hit Sri Lanka. Hundreds of schools were destroyed. Poverty, isolation, dilapidated schools, scarce materials and girls at a significant disadvantage combined with war-torn areas and a natural disaster creates a tremendous need here.
My first impression upon arriving was how cordial and genteel the people are. Never had I seen an immigration official -usually officious and stern - smile as he stamped my passport, welcoming us and suggesting we stay longer.
We saw Neena from our small hometown in Michigan. She is preparing her doctoral dissertation on religion and the effects of well-meaning faith-based NGO's using devastating events as opportunities to evangelize. As an anthropologist, she is particularly interested in the effect that can be on a culture. We love seeing her and seeing the Sri Lanka that has become dear to her.
She agrees with us about the genuine friendliness and hospitality we have observed in the people. Every single country we've seen has compelled us to want to return!
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