Disgraceful TV
Asian Tribune reports that Sri Lanka’s state-funded television channel, the Sri Lanka Ruphavanini Corporation (SLRC) recently cut dialogue from the weekly drama Sudu Kapuru Pethi (White Camphor) and then went on to axe the series altogether.
The then SLRC chairman Newton Gunaratne told the media the television show had insulted the security forces. “Some parts of this teledrama bring disgrace to these soldiers and their self-respect,” he claimed. Gunaratne, however, made no attempt to substantiate his claims.
The series, directed by Athula Pieris, is a love story involving a Sinhalese girl from Sri Lanka’s south and a Tamil boy from the north. Based on Thushari Abesekera’s award-winning novel of the same name, the drama is set during the island’s protracted civil war prior to the 2002 ceasefire and was commissioned following the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami as part of the SLRC’s attempts to present “a new vision of peace”.
While Sudu Kapuru Pethi is not an explicit antiwar drama, it is a humane work. Its central love story between Tamil and Sinhalese youth is anathema to the Sinhala communalists, who dominate the Sri Lankan state, including the army. Its censorship follows a pattern of increasingly serious attacks on artists, filmmakers and journalists who reject Sinhala racism or dare to raise questions about the government’s war drive.
SLRC management didn’t bother to tell the director that they’d cut dialogue from the show - he found out about it when the programme was transmitted on September 3rd. When he complained the management “suggested” that he re-edit the entire program. He refused and the show, which had another 13 episodes to run, was summarily cancelled.
The cancellation of Sudu Kapuru Pethi foreshadows further assaults on democratic rights. As it widens its deeply unpopular war, the Rajapakse government is determined to silence any opposition. In this case, the suggestion that ordinary Tamils and Sinhalese share common problems and concerns was enough to provoke the ire of those who are deliberately stoking communal hatreds.
Tuesday 31 Oct 2006 | Paul | Sri Lanka
