The two films are Thunwenno (The Third Generation) based on the experiences of youth in Dehiattakandiya, a Mahaweli settlement in the Eastern Province and Wanaspathi Uruma Laddo (The Inheritors of the Jungle) based on the experiences of youth in Dambana, a village of indigenous people in the Uva Province. The Colombo Institute invited the group present to express ideas not only to initiate a discussion but also as a means of further improving the third film they are set to produce in Aludeniya in the upcoming months. The discussion was facilitated by Ranjith Perera of the Social Scientists’ Association and the Civil Rights Movement and the film directors and producers responded to key ideas presented by members of the audience.

Ideas expressed about Wanaspathi Uruma Laddo included thoughts on how the traditional and transitional cultural facets had been woven into the film, the insights into gender relations among the indigenous groups made possible through the imagery etc. Thunwenno generated a discussion on if the film captured something unique to the particular community that is being portrayed and if the ‘real’ issues of the community were highlighted. A question was also raised regarding the link between the photography workshops conducted with the youth and the films produced. The directors and producers took the opportunity to respond to some of the comments. Clarifications regarding the nature of the link of the films to the photographs taken by the youth, the democratic process through which selection of themes was done for portrayal and some of the issues faced in editing the film to suit the preferences of the particular communities were made by those involved in the productions.

Workshop participant lighting oil lamp

 On 13^th November 2008, Nadee Art center in Dehiattakandiya opened to the public an exhibition of selected photos taken by its young student members during the photography workshops organized by the Colombo Institute since February 2008. The exhibition is the culmination of the series of workshops and activities where these youth were trained everything from framing images to reading and interpreting images.  The 20 color images selected for the show essentially depict the backgrounds and circumstances of the workshop participants, all of whom are students who offer art as a subject for the GCE Advanced Level examination. One student, Thakshila who addressed the gathering on behalf of the group said the exhibition as well as the refurbishment of the gallery was a “dream that had come true which was still difficult to envisage.” She as well as others who spoke suggested that such efforts should continue in the future. A large number of invitees consisting of members of Colombo Institute, Theertha International Artists Association from Colombo and Gaveshi Resource Centre in Aludeniya as well as teachers and young students from neighborhood schools and regional education officials attended the opening.    

A group of students at the exhibition

In preparation for the exhibition, Colombo Institute helped refurbish the Nadee gallery. All non specialized labor was generated from within the group and the interior and exterior painting of the walls, cleaning the exterior garden and installation of a new lighting system was undertaken by the students themselves.  Paid services were procured for the wiring for new lights.  The Institute funded the purchase of gallery lights and wiring and installation equipment from Colombo as well as all the paint, related amnesties, printing of invitation cards for the exhibition and catering for the opening event. In addition, the frames used for the occasion were manufactured locally with provision to be re-used. As such, 23 mahogany frames with a glass front were made with a back door that can be opened for the insertion of photos or paintings.  Both the refurbished gallery and frames can now be re-used by the Nadee Center as well as by other groups in the area. The expectation of the Colombo Institute was that a reasonably well equipped gallery be made available for the use of the youth in the area that was not restricted by the kind of red tape usually associated with state or more formal setups of this nature. 

writing a script

On 6th and 8th of June 2008, the Colombo Institute Team conducted another workshop at the Nadee Art center in Lihiniyagama, Dehiattakandiya focusing on script writing. The idea was to generate story lines from the young participants in areas that were thematically important to them. Among the themes they wanted to investigate in a potential script were the urban rural divide, the impact of external politics on village life, the impact of elephants on farming etc. The outline of a script was developed at this workshop. The young participants also wanted to write a script on how a young woman might see the world around her. They named this woman ‘Amanda,’ to represent all of them. Though this was supposed to be the last workshop to develop a script, the resource persons from Colombo Institute felt that at least one other workshop is required to complete this task and fine tune the script.

Several participants who were GCE AL students had also participated in a two week regional art workshop conducted by Nadee Art Center for Artists from different parts of the country.

Artwork at Nadee Arts Center

Artwork at Nadee Arts Center

pujitha selecting photos with youth

Pujitha de Mel held further discussions and conducted numerous exercises in order to tease out stories based on the most dominant themes seen in their photos. Ten photos each were selected for this exercise. Lasnatha Kumara, the head of Nadee Art Center and Pradeep Chandrasiri along with other Colombo Institute members collected the best photos from each participant to be included in an exhibition that would be organized at the Nadee Arts Center on a future date.

piyal discusses reading pictures

At the end of the workshop, Colombo Institute sponsored the purchase of ten plastic chairs for the Nadee Art Center as there was a shortage of equipment for students. The institute has decided to help the center in a modest upgrading of its facilities over the next few months while the program is in progress.

jagath demostrating use of camera

All the participants were given a package of literature consisting of the ‘introduction to photography,’ an illustrated presentation that was used for the course compiled by Waruni Anuruddhika. Additionally, ten copies of extra reading material on photography compiled specially for the course and the two copies of a book on cinema and society were distributed as additional reading material. The students also got the opportunity to view the well-known film Parther Panchali by Satyajit Rai. The discussion after the film indicated that the students had grasped the lessons on photography quite well as their discussion on the film was mostly focused on how the images in the film could be read.

The cameras and additional reading material will be handed over to the library of the Nadee Art Center to be used by interested young people associated with the center. The Colombo Institute is also helping equip the center’s library during its work in the area.

On the way to Dehiattakandiya

At the invitation of Lasantha Chandana Kumara, an instructor for art teachers and the head of the newly established Nadee Art Center based in Lihiniyagama in the general area of Dehiattakandiya in the Eastern Province, a team of Colombo Institute members consisting of Jagath Pathirage, Anoli Perera, Chandra Lekamaarachchi and Sasanka Perera undertook a field visit to the area on the 1st and 2nd February 2008 to initiate discussions on the Institute’s documentary film project focused on youth and multiculturalism. This trip was meant to assess the viability of the project in this area and to meet potential partners. The Nadee Center itself was established by a number of art teachers in the area lead by Lasantha Kumara by sparsely refurbishing an abandoned building that belonged to the Mahaweli Authority. It now functions as a center for young people in the area to meet and talk about issues related to visual arts and to learn new practices in painting, sculpture and installation. The center perhaps also houses the only formal art gallery identified as such outside Colombo.

On the evening of February 1st, Colombo Institute members met with teachers and male students from GCE AL classes associated with the Center. Female students could not come during this time due to transport restrictions. Many of the young male students use bikes for transport but women do not use bikes in the evenings and have to rely on public transport, which is of course, unreliable.

On the morning of 2^nd February 2008, the Colombo Institute team met with a larger group of individuals associated with the Center. This group also consisted of female students since transport services functioned better in the mornings. A description of Colombo Institute’s profile and its activities, particularly the documentary film project focused on youth, was given to the young participants by Chandra Lekamarachchi.