consider

think
FEEL
decide
BELIEVE
ACT
ISSN 1391-5673
publisher
The Women and Media Collective
56/ 1, Sarasavi Lane, Castle Street
Colombo 8, Sri Lanka.
Phone: +94-11-5632045, 2690192, 2690201, 5635900
Fax: +94-11-2690192
Email: wmcsrilanka@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/
www.womenandmedia.org
twitter.com/ womenandmedia
online OPTIONS magazine:
http:/ / options.womenandmedia.org/
editor
Vivimarie VanderPoorten
executive editors
Sepali Kottegoda
Kumudini Samuel
design and layout
Velayudan J ayachithra
In the future, there will be no
female leaders. There will just be
leaders.
-- Sheryl Sandberg,
Lean In: Women, Work, and the
Will to Lead
51
EDITORIAL | Vivimarie VanderPoorten
We ended 2013 with a farewell to one of the
world | Kumuduni Samuel
Exploring Feminism with Sunila
| Dr. Sepali Kottegoda
Politics of Late Comrade Sunila Abeysekera that
I knew | Lionel Bopage
Sunila was a true Artist a Cultural Being |
Dharmasiri Bandaranayake
Poem | SUNILA |
Manjula Wediwardena
17 years of Vishvapriya: Sunilas feminist film
criticism on Sinhala cinema |
Shermal Wijewardene
Remembering Sunila | Suriya Womens
Development Centre Batticaloa
'We Were Feminist First" | Kumuduni Samuel
PHOTO ESSAY - working women |
Krishantha Fedricks
Gender Parity in the working place |
Thulasi Muttulingam
Academic women, precarious subjects |
Anu Ranawana
You are cleared for Take Off, Lady |
Capt Elmo J ayawardena
Women Bread Winners and Disability |
Chandula Kumbukage
PHOTO ESSAY - working women |
Rashmini de Silva
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THINK . FEEL . CONSIDER . DECIDE . BELIEVE . ACT
CONTENTS
PICTURE
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There is an old adage: A man works from sun to sun, a womans
work is never done. While we may agree that this type of folk wisdom
reinforces gender stereotypes and serves to naturalize womens multiple
roles and makes it look like these truisms cannot be questioned or resisted,
it is a reality for many women in our society that they are always working;
if they go out to work, then when they return home they have to do all
the household chores mostly by themselves.
Two recent incidents at my work place reminded me of the complex
relationship between women and work. The first incident involved a
ceremony I was invited to as department head, to witness our senior
staff officer get an award for not utilizing her 45 days of leave given by
the university to non-academic staff. She was one of about 19 employees
who received a letter of appreciation and commendation for basically,
coming to work every single day. (The award was given to those who
had taken less than 14 days leave for the entire year). As the names
were announced, it struck me that more than half of the employees
who were awarded, were women. Single women. Name after name
was read out and each time the title meneviya (miss) reminded me
that this could not have been a coincidence.
The other incident involves a research project I am currently involved in
with my friend and colleague, related to dropping out and non
completion of degree programmes in the specified time period, and
failure rates. Because a large majority of our students are mature
students who are both working and studying, two of the many questions
in our survey were what would you do differently if you could start
over from the beginning? and How does your family support you?.
Two responses that I remember are the rather regretful words What
would I do differently? I would lessen the number of times I put family
obligations first and my studies second and the both amusing and sad
How does my family support me? by leaving me alone without asking
me to do a million things
Both these separate incidents remind us of the tension between a
womans work and career related goals and her role as wife, mother,
daughter etc. This is because most women are expected to balance
work and family in their daily life; since they are expected to prioritize
their roles as wife and mother and put their career and themselves,
second.: my family comes first is a clich one often finds in celebrity
interviews given to fashionable womens magazines. A career woman
who has a family is expected to act like a many limbed goddess, statues
of which abound in our island nation. As revealed in our research study,
From the
Editor
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the tension between womens careers, studies and their families is one that
does not seem to exist among male adults who also have families and careers.
Women are also judged negatively if they are too ambitious. Unlike a
successful man, a woman often has to justify why she is successful. I could
not have done this without the support of my husband she is expected to
say, smiling gracefully. Sheryl Sandberg, author of Lean in: Women Work
and the Will to Lead puts it succinctly when she says:
Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about
acceptable social conduct. Men are continually applauded for being
ambitious and powerful and successful, but women who display these
same traits often pay a social penalty. Female accomplishments come
at a cost.
While acknowledging this tension and social pressure, we also have to
applaud the way in which women have overcome so many obstacles to
achieve career success and educational goals in contemporary society. It is
this achievement that we celebrate in this issue of Options: women in the
work place, women participating in activities that take them entirely out of
the private and domestic spaces that they are expected to inhabit and sustain,
and into the public, male dominated world of real work. Some of the pieces
in this issue celebrate womens active contribution to the world of work and
their foray into traditionally male dominated spheres such as piloting planes.
Other articles discuss issues of equality in the work place and question the
lack of female participation in spheres such as academia. The photo essays
capture women in public spaces and non traditional roles such as
campaigning, picketing and lobbying. And last but not least, this issue of
Options celebrates the life of a woman whose work took her to dangerous
territory, who dared to speak out against injustice, no matter who was
responsible for it, and who often risked her life in the pursuit of justice and
equality. Options pays tribute to the memory of feminist and human rights
activist par excellence, Sunila Abeysekara who needs no introduction, and
whose untimely passing has left a void that cannot be filled.
May we have the strength to carry on Sunilas struggle for equality and justice,
and to be a voice for the voiceless, for the work she started will hardly, ever
be done.
Vivimarie V Vivimarie V Vivimarie V Vivimarie V Vivimarie VanderP anderP anderP anderP anderPoorten oorten oorten oorten oorten
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Photo | Sharni Jayawardene
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2013ended with the world paying
tribute to one of the greatest Statesmen of
our times Nelson Mandela his was a journey
from freedom fighter to political prisoner to
President of a nation he freed from the scourge
of apartheid. Apartheid was a political system
of segregation that brutally discriminated
against the majority blac k people and
privileged a minority of white people living in
South Africa. Mandela epitomized a spirit of
courage, reconciliation and justice. As the
French President said he will continue to
inspire fighters for freedom, and to give
confidence to peoples in the defence of just
causes and universal rights.
In September we lost a beloved colleague
and friend and compassionate fighter for
human rights in Sri Lanka Sunila Abeysekera.
Eya to which she contributed unfailingly with
her feminist politic al vision writing its
Abiyogaya and writing a regular film critique,
dedicates this issue to her memory, her lifes
work, her humanity and humanism. Sunila was
first and foremost a feminist. She brought her
feminism into her work to defend, promote and
protect human rights. She lived a life on the
forefront of many social movements, fighting
relentlessly for justice and human rightsfor
women and on behalf of all those who
experienced discrimination, persecution and
marginalization, whether on the basis of race-
ethnicity, class, gender or sexual orientation.
She was as concerned with the nature of the
war s ending as with the c auses and
consequences of war. She was equally
concerned with the killings in the Welikada
and Vavuniya prisons as with the targeting of
journalists all over the country and the curbing
of media freedom. She was also concerned
with the rising religious intoleranc e and
attac ks against Muslims and Christian
institutions instigated by the Bodu Bala Sena
that went against the fundamental tenets of
Buddhism she respected dearly. These are
issues we carry into the new year.
We spoke of Nelson Mandelas legacy of
reconciliation and justice at the beginning of
this artic le. However as great was his
c ontribution to nation building in the
aftermath of political violence and repression.
His legacy was also that of enshrining equality
for all including women and respect for
diversity in Constitutional guarantees. He also
ensured through the new Constitution that
the state may not unfairly discriminate directly
or indirectly against anyone on one or more
grounds, inc luding rac e, gender, sex,
pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social
origin, c olour, sexual orientation, age,
disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture,
language and birth. In his message of
condolence on the death of Nelson Mandela,
President Maihnda Rajapakse said His life and
philosophy have deeply inspired me and I
We ended 2013 with a
farewell to farewell to
farewell to farewell to farewell to
one of the world one of the world
one of the world one of the world one of the world
Kumuduni Samuel Kumuduni Samuel Kumuduni Samuel Kumuduni Samuel Kumuduni Samuel
Kumudini Samuel is a founder
member and former director of
the Women and Media
Collective. She is a womens and
human rights advocate.
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consider President Mandelas demise a great
loss to me personally. Nelson Mandelas life
and philosophy embodied justice and respect
for the rule of law. He built systems that could
eradic ate a c ulture of impunity and he
ensured accountability for past crimes of both
the regime and the ANC and enabled
reconciliation with peace and justice. This is
the legacy that President Mahinda Rajapakse
must ensure and the challenge he must face if
Sri Lanka is to truly recover and make amends
for 35 years of war and a longer history of
discrimination and violation of human rights.
We also begin the New Year with a serious
concern for women. On the very day CHOGM
started, with Sri Lanka in the prestigious
position of c hairing the Commonwealth
despite all the misgivings of this designation
given Sri Lankas poor human rights record and
continued lack of political will to uphold the
values of democratic governance, we were
appalled to hear the Minister of Child
Development and Womens Affairs, Tissa
Karalliyadde, state on MTVs morning show that
it was only pathivathaya araksha kara ganne
bari kanthawo gender gana katha karanne.
This was in the wake of a serious question about
rising rates of violence against women and
children which the Minister himself admitted
to both to MTV and a few days later in
Parliament. The figures according to him were
as high as . Mr. Tissa Karalliyadde has on
several occasions made extremely sexist
remarks that are humiliating to Sri Lankan
women in general, without any sense of
responsibility for the cabinet office he holds
as Minister of Womens Affairs and Child
Development. We have in the past had
several women cabinet ministers such as
Renuka Herath, the late Srimani
Athulathmudali, Amara Piyaseeli Rathnayake,
and Sumeda J ayasena who took their role and
responsibility as holders of cabinet office
seriously. They tried to work towards achieving
these standards of gender equality and
improve the lives of women and men. It is a
shocking indication of the breakdown in
values of holders of public office, that the first
male minister of Womens Affairs can make
public statements whic h undervalue Sri
Lankan women, and abuse and seek to
humiliate identified groups of women. The
ministers statements make it abundantly clear
that he is unaware of his responsibilities, rejects
these values on gender equality in his personal
and public life. This also comes at a time when
the budgetary allocation for womens affairs
is a measly 0.008%. We can no longer under
estimate the importanc e of budgetary
allocations for the realizations of Women
socio-economic right. We must begin to
analyze budgets from gendered perspectives
to ask to what extent each aspect of a budget
represents a choice that advances gender
equality, to draw attention to the way in which
macro-economical policies impact on the
rights of women. We have to call on the
President to take issues of gender equality and
non discrimination against women much more
seriously and we must begin to call for the
political will at the highest places to ensure
womens rights to equality that this enshrined
in the Sri Lanka constitution. This is a struggle
for democracy, for equality, for respect of
diversity. It is a struggle that cannot be the
responsibility of women alone and it is a
struggle that everyone working for human
rights and human dignity both women and
men must wage together. This is the only way
we can transform society, secure rights and
restoring dignity. No society is free till its
women are free and treated with dignity.
working women
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Sepali Kottegoda is a founder member of the
Women and Media Collective. She wishes she had
more time to read the books her three sons are
reading, particularly those that transport her into
the realm of science fiction and fantasy.
Dr Dr Dr Dr Dr. Sepali K . Sepali K . Sepali K . Sepali K . Sepali Kottegoda ottegoda ottegoda ottegoda ottegoda
I had just entered Vidyalankara Campus,
now Kelaniya University, as an undergraduate
in the Department of English in the mid 1970s,
delving immediately into discussions on social
movements, politics and a whole gamut of
new activities. Sunila came into my life when
she joined the small group of friends who were
meeting regularly at the Centre for Society
and Religion which was, under the patronage
of Father Tissa Balasuriya. The CSR was THE
place for political discussions, critiquing the
policies of the Sri Lankan government at the
time. I had only heard of her before as the
sister of Prasanna, who was a figure in his own
right in the Metal music sc ene. Sunila s
reputation as a wild woman, outgoing,
adventurous and bold preceded her, even at
that time. Having met her, I was immediately
charmed by her warmth and with no hesitation
took up with her! That was the beginning of a
relationship that went onto span three
decades and more.
Exploring Feminism with
Sunila
These were exciting times
a womens movement was
coming together in Sri Lanka
and Sunila brought into our
lives feminist concepts in
trying to understand the socio-
economic and political
changes that were sweeping
across the country.

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Feminism was not a topic that was highlighted
in many political discussions in Sri Lanka at that
time, in the mid 1970s. Political discourses of
the Left focused on understanding, analyzing
and debating class politics, the proletariat,
c lass struggle and Nation-hood; gender
relations were mostly considered outside the
focus of organising for political change. Our
small group also spent many hours discussing
issues such as Marxs old concept of the
Asiatic Mode of Production, on the Right to
Self-Determination, on peasant movements,
on film and Sri Lankan theatre among other
things.
But, for me, the entry point into feminism came
with our focus on the East Asian NICs (Newly
Industrialising Countries). Our interest in these
countries stemmed particularly from the
setting up of Free Trade Zones in South Korea,
Hongkong, Taiwan, where thousands of young
women were employed in industrialized
garment production enterprises. Post 1977,
these factories were being set up in Sri Lankas
newly declared Free Trade Zone in Katunayake
and for the first time, we had thousands of
women of our own who were being recruited
to work in garment factories.
These were exc iting times a women s
movement was coming together in Sri Lanka
and Sunila brought into our lives feminist
concepts in trying to understand the socio-
economic and political changes that were
sweeping across the country. She wove in her
experiences and work on economic and
politic al rights, drawing on Kumari
J ayawardenas work, into womens rights.
Issues of equal pay for women workers in the
plantation sector were being raised; women
workers in the FTZs were being organized as a
force for demanding their rights as workers;
our friend Kumi Samuel was very much part of
these endeavors. For me, discussions with
Sunila on why this second wave of women as
wage workers was so significant, were critical
in contextualized womens positioning within
the economy, within the family and in the
political arena. I understood what was meant
by Double day when we looked at the lives
of women; women work, whether in the labour
market or within their homes, but housework
still remains outside the value-added
economy. Sunila encouraged Sriyani Perera
to make the first slide show of WMC, on
Double Day . We began exploring and
understanding the concept of patriarchy, of
working women
With the Women and Media Collective
being formed in 1984, we were able to
locate ourselves within a womens
movement in the country, in South Asia
and globally and we began to develop
more structured processes in our
interventions for gender equality, womens
rights and feminist discourses.

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sexuality. We were of course not alone in our
journey. I realize that we have never been
alone. Kamla Bhasin from India, Nighat Said
Khan from Pakistan, Charlotte Bunch from the
US, Kate Young from the UK were also on this
journey of exploring feminism, theorizing,
sharing and developing on key areas in
realizing womens rights.
As I look back on the last 37 years, I realize
how much she was present in my life at its most
critical turning points. With the Women and
Media Collective being formed in 1984, we
were able to loc ate ourselves within a
womens movement in the country, in South
Asia and globally and we began to develop
more structured processes in our interventions
for gender equality, womens rights and
feminist discourses.
I recall that she came over to my house,
pregnant with Sanjaya, to type out my thesis
for my B.A. I remember, when I was reading for
my D.Phil at IDS, Sussex, quite enjoying myself
with life there, she sent me a strongly worded
letter telling me that if I was not serious about
my studies, there is work to be done in Sri
Lanka. I was distraught with that letter, but
now I realize that that she knew exactly what
she was doing I got my act together and
finished up my studies and returned home
faster!! I remember Subhas 4
th
birthday when
Sunila told us her daughter wanted a Red
Riding Hood cake and dress Kumi and I
wracked our brains on how to get this done. I
made a sort of red riding hood cake and Kumi
got a red riding hood dress and, little Subhas
dreams were fulfilled! I remember hanging out
with our group of friends, at the D.S. J ayasinghe
hall and in many other places, waiting for
Sunila to finish singing Vimukthi Gee on J VP
platforms and to join us. Then we would head
out to Greenland caf or some small place to
have tea and talk about politics, books, films.
When we first met, most of us were not in a
relationship, most of us had no children of our
own. We went into feminist activism as single
women. As we began to head out exploring
our own relationships, some of us adopted or
looked after children of our sisters or decided
to have children of our own, we explored our
own sexualities. And, we have lived through
and faced the very challenges that we had
been talking about social and ideological
positioning of women as women, whether we
working women

. . . most of us were not in a

relationship, most of us had no children
of our own. We went into feminist
activism as single women. As we
began to head out exploring our own
relationships, some of us adopted or
looked after children of our sisters or
decided to have children of our own, we
explored our own sexualities.
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are single, in heterosexual or in same sex
relationships, whether we are in the paid
economy or engaged in unpaid housework,
whether we are single mothers. For me, Sunila
is always present doing what she always does,
embracing me and giving me strength and
courage to face each challenge wherever it
may come from.
A Daughters Tribute to Sunila Abeysekara By
Subha Wijesiriwardena
..... Nothing is the end of the world she would
say to me. Except the end of the world I
would say. She was always about perspective;
but this didnt mean she encouraged the
dismissal of feelings. She would allow herself
and in turn, I learned to do so myself to feel,
to acknowledge every layer, every feeling.
She would ask the tough questions, examine
the tough answers, but remind herself at the
end of the day which things felt truly important
in her life. And even in her illness and death
every detail, every element of it what
perspective she has shown me.
I also learned from her that you could change
anything about your own life. But you could
grow accustomed to anything, too. I learned
working women
as a child that life could be hard; but I also
learned that you could remain happy by simply
choosing to do so. I learned that from my
mother. I saw in her the ability to remain happy,
truly content, with yourself, with your life, with
your every choice, in a way that I have never
really seen anyone else do. I learned that there
could be such joy in small things; that there
could be such dignity in choosing joy.
More importantly, I learned from her that it is
possible to be vulnerable, to be fragile to
even be broken sometimes - but never weak.
I learned that even the people around you
are choice, and if you chose well, then you
would never have a reason to be alone not
in joy, not in sorrow.
Today, I remember and celebrate her fragility,
and in it, my own; the capability we shared to
draw strength from others, lean on others, to
love wholly and want passionately. Today, I
remember all the people who made her who
she was, and all the people who have made
me who I am.
Sunila with Sanjaya and Suba
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I do believe that it is getting every day more and more serious. We
see it happening now , in terms of racism, the emergence of neo-
fascism, in the treatment of migrants, and the rise of anti-migrant
movements. In the context of today, 2009, transversality is even
more important than it was for us when we first began to work
with the idea about ten years ago. If you look at the ways in which
Israeli and Palestinian women have tried to work together in the
past, or Sinhalese and Tamil women in Sri Lanka whenever the
conflict intensifies, the polarisation sharpens and
the capacity to reach out, to have compassion, to
be humble in the face of the enormity of what is
being done in your name fatally shrinks. I am
Sinhalese and the Sri Lankan
government conducts this war in the
name of defending the Sinhalese.
In such circumstances, it becomes
almost impossible to hang onto the
idea that as feminists we have a common cause and yet it becomes
imperative that we hang onto that belief.
- Sunila Abeysek - Sunila Abeysek - Sunila Abeysek - Sunila Abeysek - Sunila Abeysekera era era era era
This quote aptly summarises comrade Sunila
Abeysekeras political thinking. Her life of more
than 40 years involved direct political action
at times, and not so direct political action at
other times. Her political roles took many
shades, but have been viewed as renowned,
compassionate and committed.
Politics of
Lionel was a General Secretary of the JVP in the
earl y ei ghti es. He i s a vocal i st, composer,
communi ty acti vi st and a pol i ti cal anal yst.
His doctoral thesis was on the effects of trade
liberalisation in Australia. Currently he lives in
Melbourne and works for the Australian Federal
Government.
Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage
"
"
Late Comrade
Sunila Abeysekera
that I knew
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During her life she played multiple roles as a
political activist, a human rights activist, a
womens rights activist and a performance
artist. She was ferociously committed to
human rights and womens rights both locally
in Sri Lanka and in the global arena. Her basic
politic al philosophy emanated from the
precept that every person, irrespective of his/
her socio-economic and political background
deserved the right to life, liberty and personal
security. Until her death, she stood by the
politic al princ iples she believed in, and
questioned the dire law and order situation
that has been existing in Sri Lanka.
Sunila was able to politically analyse and
identify that the denial of democracy has been
the major c ause of many c onflic ts and
subsequent carnage in Sri Lanka. When denial
of democracy, of participation, and peoples
rights and dignity as equals exists, identity-
based politics emerge, which in the long-term
will become very divisive possibly leading to
grave consequences. The insurrections in the
south and the north were the result of the pro-
colonial elitist rule the colonialists imposed in
the form of a majoritarian government. She
believed that to move away from the brink of
such conflicts, devolving or sharing power
leading to the creation of new democratic
structures was essential. Such an arrangement
will rid the society of the prevailing minority/
majority divide as being the factor that
defines the relationship between the
communities in the island.
From the seventies successive governments
in Sri Lanka have been responding to youth
militanc y in the south and north with
repressive legislation, arbitrary arrest and
detention, torture and curbs on the freedom
of expression, inc luding c ensorship. A
significant moment in Sunilas life was the J VP
insurrection of 1971. This infused in this young
woman a strong sense of social injustice and
insight into the disadvantaged position
people were in, including young people from
poor rural communities. According to her,
these young people involved in the
insurrection dared to challenge the system.
So she with other young colleagues had
started visiting young persons held in
detention, and gradually became involved
with their legal defence and politics.
Until her death she continued to deal with
politics of Sri Lanka by engaging herself in many
local issues. Untiringly working for the release
of politic al prisoners and advoc ating a
negotiated political solution to the national
question, she never c ompromised her
c ommitment and dedic ation to the
fundamental rights of humanity. In that way,
she was able to take an independent but
working women
Accepting her Award for Human Rights at
the HRW Award Ceremony - 1995
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progressive stand speaking against any party
that committed human rights violations. She
did not wish simply to be an elitist limiting
discussions to armchair politics, but wanted
to go to the people, to be with the people
and work for their interests.
She was an enormously courageous and
inspiring woman political activist. From being
the best female vocalist in the Songs of
Liberation troupe, she sang songs of struggle,
protest and liberation with other singers and
musicians for the ordinary folk in villages and
towns. She was a writer and translator for the
journal Red Power . When c onduc ting
politic al ac tivities in the elec torates in
Colombo with lower middle and upper-class
niches, I had the occasion to conduct political
activities together with her, from door to door
c anvassing, selling newspapers, holding
individual and group discussions, putting up
posters, taking part in protest actions and
organising public political events.
Since leaving the J VP, she continued her
politic al ac tivism in an indirec t manner,
demonstrating in deed that womens rights
are human rights. The basis for her feminist
political thinking emanated from the view
that identity-based political formations are
mostly embedded in patriarchy and therefore
often reduce women to a reproductive role
(soc ially and biologic ally) and impose
limitations on womens mobility and on their
rights to freedom of expression, opinion and
choice, especially with regard to marriage
and children. The role of women in radical
militant organizations is often as
circumscribed by patriarchal norms as the role
of women in ordinary communities.
In countries where colonialists imposed a
system of democracy, the society has never
experienced the social contract in terms of
citizenship. Sunila extended this to include the
feminist idea of formulating the sexual
contract as part of the social contract: the
social contract was also a sexual contract and
that the whole idea of democ rac y was
located within a patriarchal understanding of
the world of rights, and of the different roles
of men and women in terms of citizenship. Her
question related to the role of the female
citizen in a political environment, where
women is granted a second-class citizenship.
working women

A significant moment in Sunilas life

was the JVP insurrection of 1971. This
infused in this young woman a strong
sense of social injustice and insight
into the disadvantaged position people
were in, including young people from
poor rural communities.
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Many challenges she had to face extended
from the questioning by intelligence agencies,
slander campaigns launched against her by
the state and opposing political groups, to
death threats. She shrugged off the risks that
posed to her own safety. In 1987, she had to
leave Sri Lanka due to death threats. She was
branded a traitor and an enemy of the state.
She never wavered. With late Dr. Manorani
Saravanamuttu, she spoke in public on behalf
of the Mothers Front that represented the
mothers of the disappeared persons. Her
courage to become a public spokesperson
during such a period of terror in the south, when
large scale enforced disappearances were
taking place and many intimidated to fall
silent, was politically remarkable.
She worked with many activists based on a
feminist perspective in looking at issues of
militarization, conflict, conflict transformation,
and peace-building. She was forced to live in
exile again after the state-controlled news
media labelled her a traitor for her support of
a United Nations Human Rights Counc il
resolution in 2012 calling for reconciliation and
accountability in Sri Lanka.
Sunila interpreted the world in her own
specific way and endeavoured to change it
accordingly. There may be differences of
opinion regarding the way she did this, but
undoubtedly she was sternly committed to the
ideals she believed in, advoc ated and
practised the very same ideals at a personal
and community level. That is why I believe that
she was one of the most sincere and honest
political activists of our time.
She emphasised that an understanding of
diversity and to be as inclusive as possible are
extremely important. She summarised her
conclusion: At one and the same time, we
claim our own identity and yet we must do
that in such a way that it does not preclude
our recognition of other identities and their
mutual impact. In this light, she wanted us to
explore how we may work together across all
the differences; how we may enjoy inclusivity
in a space which respects the differences; and
how we may create some kind of solidarity
which allows us to build alliances across
differenc e. This she thought was about
international solidarity and about supporting
each other and being in partnership with each
other. She said So the idea of transversal
politics allows us to be who we are in our own
place and yet understand that we are part of
a much bigger momentum for change that
includes a lot of women and men who live in
other places, and have other lives and other
circumstances yet we will stand together on
issues of principle.
If we, who still believe in the cause of freedom
and justice, were to really commemorate her
political life, our resolution should be to resist
political cynicism, work for protecting the
c herished values of human dignity and
equality of treatment and unswervingly
commit to the cause of social justice for the
future generations!
working women
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Isaw a strange girl who was of the same age
as me in a film in 1966. The film was Delowak
Athara, and the girl was Sunila. I thought to
myself that how fortunate she was to act in
such a film. We saw her again in the silver
screen with the film Golu Hadawatha. It was
also a film of Dr. Lester J ames Pieris. It was in
year 1969. I became a film actor in the same
year with the film Bak Maha Deege.
Sunila was an impressive girl in our school
years. In 70s we recognized her father, Mr.
Charles Abeysekara as the president of Steel
Corporation as well as a theatre critique and
later he became president of the Board of
Drama. We saw her father with another
illustrious theatre critique whenever we went
to see a stage play to the Lumbini Theatre. He
was Mr. Regee Siriwardene. Her mother, Turine
Abeysekara was also present at the theatre
often. Sunila grew up with an artistic
background. She was fortunate to have a bi-
lingual education. Her family background and
her education was the foundation of her
artistic life.
I got to know Sunila in theatre from Henry
J ayasenas plays. His play Mother Courage was
staged in year 1972. Sunila played a character
of a girl who couldnt talk. She did justice to
that character by only body language. The
character was shot dead in the end of the
play.
I met Sunila in person when I went for the
rehearsals for Henry J ayasenas play Makara
at the Chithrasena Academy of Dance.
Sunila was '
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Dharmasiri Bandaranayake is a renowned
Sri Lankan film director, actor and playwright,
Cheif Executive Officer at TrikonE Cultural
Foundation, Sri Lanka Fine art.
Dharmasi ri Dharmasi ri Dharmasi ri Dharmasi ri Dharmasi ri
Bandaranayake Bandaranayake Bandaranayake Bandaranayake Bandaranayake
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working women
Another handsome actor was also called to
play the character Lancelot which I was also
to be play. He was Nishshanka Diddeniya. I
didnt know him because I hadnt seen the play
Sinhabahu at that time. Lancelot would not
let the Dragon take Eliza as a sacrifice in the
play. Three of us rehearsed and by the end Mr.
J ayasena selected me to play the character
Lancelot. Mr. J ayasena crowned me as the
Knight who saved Eliza on the stage. One of
the favorite scenes of the audience in that
play was the one which Lancelot kissed Eliza.
Henry said we performed that very well. She
was the first girl I kissed on stage after I got
married. We did more than hundred shows of
the play Makara.
By that time Sunila was working closely with
political groups. She joined the choir of the
J VP. Kapuge was also with them. Among
Sunila s friends were Gamini
Haththottuwegama, Sarac hc handra
Samarakkodi, Wimal Kumara De Costa, W.
J ayasiri, Dharmasena Pathiraja and Vijaya
Kumaranathunga. I always saw Sunila as a girl
who lived her life freely.
After Makara, Sunila was seen on stage with
the plays Ranjith Dharmakeerthis Angara
Ganga Gala Basee and Modara Mola. She
acted and sang in those plays. Her appealing
voice was introduced to us by Dr. Premasiri
Kemadasa. He chose Sunila to sing the song
Handunagaththoth Oba Ma in the film
Bambaru Awith by Dharmasena Pathiraja
(1978). We hear that fascinating voice till this
day. In 1979 I disc ussed with Maestro
Kemadasa the issue of who would be suitable
to sing the song Hemin Sare Piya Wida written
by Dharmasena Pathiraja for my Film Hansa
Vilak. He chose Sunila and T. M. J ayaratne for
it and that song as well as the film is very well
appreciated by Sri Lankans evenl today. Sunila
will always live in this song. Unfortunately her
busy life took her away from the theatre and
films. She was last seen on the silver screen in
the film Amanthaya by Nihal Fernando.
'Angara ganga Galabasi' - 1980
Sunila in the middle with Edward J ayakodi,
Ramya Wanigasekera, Hemasiri Ferdinandu and
Aruna Dharmakeerthi.
'Kaalaya Ravaya' - Song recording with
Gunadasa kapuge and others
... We hear that fascinating voice
till this day. In 1979 I discussed
with Maestro Kemadasa the
issue of who would be suitable
to sing the song Hemin Sare Hemin Sare Hemin Sare Hemin Sare Hemin Sare
P PP PPi ya W i ya W i ya W i ya W i ya Wi da i da i da i da i da wri tten by
Dharmasena Pathiraja for my
Film Hansa V Hansa V Hansa V Hansa V Hansa Vilak ilak ilak ilak ilak. He chose
Sunila and T. M. Jayaratne for it
and that song as well as the film
is very well appreciated by Sri
Lankans evenl today. Sunila will
always live in this song.
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But she managed to remain a person who
appreciates art. She didnt miss the chance
to enjoy a good film or a stage play. She stayed
with the theatre on her many foreign journeys.
She enriched her cultural self from them. Many
Sri Lankan film directors asked for Sunilas help
to subtitle their films when they represent
foreign festivals. Her skill to translate dialogues
with deep meanings to simple English was
remarkable. It is with honour I remember that
all films of mine were also subtitled by her.
Unfortunately my films stayed behind in this
island just like me. But her phrases like
Senehasa Pupura Miyagiya Sihinya were
able to bring out the essence of my film Hansa
Vilak.
I remember the play Makara again and again.
We lost the Director of that play, Henry, to
cancer too. We could not save him. In the
play Eliza was rescued by Lancelot. But in real
life I could not save Sunila. In my production
of Makarakshaya, Eliza was first performed by
I like to mention what Sunila said when she
came to Sri Lanka for the last time and was
suffering from cancer. Im not the Sunila I
was before Dharmasiri. I believe deeply in
Buddhism now.
Sunila was a true artist, a cultural being. Her
humanitarian work was based on that. Her
feminist work was also based on that. She tried
to make a revolution in society with her work.
She was enlightened art and applied what
she learned from art to her life as well as her
work. Her exposition was magnificent.
My wish is that the lights which were switched
on by Sunila will glow forever.
(From a lecture delivered at the Third month
remembrance ceremony of Sunila)
Translated by Oshadee Gunasekera Oshadee Gunasekera Oshadee Gunasekera Oshadee Gunasekera Oshadee Gunasekera
'Makara' Stage Drama - 1973
she managed to remain a person
who appreciates art. She didnt
miss the chance to enjoy a good
film or a stage play. She stayed
with the theatre on her many
foreign journeys. She enriched
her cultural self from them.
Swarna Mallawarachchi. Today she also is
afflicted by cancer. After Swarna went away
from Makarakshaya, I c hose Ramani
Bartholameusz for the character of Eliza. But
we also couldnt save her from her tragic end
in real life. This reminds us that real life is as
tragic as the artistic life is beautiful.
'Modara Mola'
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Manjula W Manjula W Manjula W Manjula W Manjula Wediwardena ediwardena ediwardena ediwardena ediwardena
Manjula is a journalist who has worked for
media freedom and justice in Sri Lanka.
He is a radical poet who now lives overseas.
Sunila
Were the elegant wings of voice shattered?
Was the heart left only with darkness?
With the cologne of smiles did you leave?
wanting to be solitary and free?
The drongos call - fills the ears with pain
To whom should I go - and make a complaint?
Through your voice when affection streams,
near the moon even the sun kneels
Narrowing the eyes with dimples on cheeks,
humanity was seen unwrapping mysteries.
The night was long would there be dawn?
solitude was watching - over a dream so alone
No, those eye lids - arent yet closing
Cant you turn back once before leaving?
Through a teardrop - cant we breathe air,
when lungs are offered - by a sister to share?
While the killing was in the dark woods,
Somewhere painful, was the sandalwood
Would you slowly return- with wings spread wide
if a call is heard for an incessant fight?
We are the sleepless river sleeping
Even with hopes the heart is aching
Now we are clueless of where are we roaming
Udumbara* mustve been beaming
through lives never ending.
*A rare flower which blooms on earth but believed to be heavenly.
(This Poem was originally written in Snhala by the
author and translated into English for OPTIONS
by Dilini Eriyawala.)
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For 17 years, Sunila Abeysekera engaged in
a task which is not as widely associated with
her in the public imagination as her human
rights work, but which was very pleasurable to
her. Four times a year, thrice a year, and then
finally twice a year, she took on the persona
of a film critic whom she named Vishvapriya,
viewed a Sinhala film of her choice which was
screening at the time, and wrote a feminist
appraisal of it for public ation in Eya.
1
Vishvapriyas film review column, begun in
1995 at the inception of Eya, was maintained
without a break until 2011. It is the longest
running feminist film column on Sinhala cinema
in the history of Sri Lankas film criticism.
With the publication of a collected edition of
her reviews by the Women and Media
Collec tive in Dec ember 2013, Sunila s
perspectives will be available to a wider
audience than the Eya readership. Prompted
by this public ation, the wider c ultural
significance of this work will be the subject of
scholarly debate in the future. While we can
anticipate that much may be written about
the politics and analytics of Vishvapriyas
voice, we must not forget that behind each
published review is a history of doing which
involved Sunila and the editors of Eya. This
article sets out the little known and randomly
interesting materiality of Sunilas 17 years of
writing film reviews for Eya, derived from the
fond personal remembrance of Eya founding
editors, Sumika Perera and Anomaa
Rajakaruna.
How we should address Sunila as a film critic is
a complicated question, because she did not
wish to be known as Sunila Abeysekera when
17 years of
Vishvapriya:
Sunilas feminist film criticism on Sinhala cinema
Shermal Wijewardene Shermal Wijewardene Shermal Wijewardene Shermal Wijewardene Shermal Wijewardene
Dr Shermal Wijewardene is Senior Lecturer at the Department of English,
University of Colombo where she is also Director of Studies of the
Faculty of Arts. She holds an MPhil in English Literature from the University
of Oxford and a PhD in Gender Studies from Monash University.
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she was writing her film reviews for Eya. When
one review was published accidentally under
her given name, she was infuriated. Yet
Vishwapriyas identity was an open secret
many knew it was Sunila, a fact of which she
was probably aware but which did not make
her throw off the persona. According to one
theory, she persisted with it because she felt
that her feminist critique might be read with
prejudice if it were read in the light of her very
public identity of hardcore feminist. In short,
she did not want Eya readers to be oriented
as if they were reading Sunila Abeysekeras
film review, however that might translate to
different people. The name Vishvapriya, with
its conjunction of universe and love, reflected
the direction she wished to face as a film critic,
which was as someone who writes about
Sinhala cinema but with cinematic and other
interests that were not limited to the
countrythat, in fact, extended to the world.
Prolific as her output was, Sunila did not
comprehensively review Sinhala cinema. She
reserved the right to choose which films she
would review, which meant that she did not
write on every one that was publicly screened.
Often, she would write on films that interested
her and that reflected a particular political
moment, while the editorial requirements were
that the choice of film should be congruent
with the theme of Eyas current issue. The
choice of film and the theme of the review
would be discussed between Sunila and the
editorial board, but, on occasion, she would
not be inspired to write about a film after
watching it, even after an editorial decision
had been made to feature it in Eya.
Of course, this made for a selective focus, but
it also reflected the kind of film critic Sunila
was, and the kind of film review she wrote.
Sunila was Vishvapriya for Eya and wrote for a
number of cinema journals (e.g. Cinesith, 14
Prakashanayata Avakashayak, Chitrapata),
but her reviewing must be approached with
the understanding that, materially, her job was
not being a full-time film critic who would
have the responsibility of reviewing every film.
Her work in human rights took up the bulk of
her time, leaving her perhaps the mornings for
film reviews, and often taking her overseas
when important films were to be screened.
Travel was a factor that constantly interfered
with Sunilas film reviewing, taking her away
from the physical site of the theatre and the
related discussions in the country. She did miss
seeing some films on those occasions. It should
also be asked if travel inserted gaps in her
consciousness of the events and debates in
the country, and how she could then be
critically aware of what was being discursively
pegged in a particular cinematic imaging of
women at any given time. The question of how
to understand the time and context of her
c ritiques is an interesting one. Sunila
... her reviewing must be ... her reviewing must be ... her reviewing must be ... her reviewing must be ... her reviewing must be
approached wi th the approached wi th the approached wi th the approached wi th the approached wi th the
understandi ng that, understandi ng that, understandi ng that, understandi ng that, understandi ng that,
materially materially materially materially materially, her job was not , her job was not , her job was not , her job was not , her job was not
being a full-time film critic being a full-time film critic being a full-time film critic being a full-time film critic being a full-time film critic
who woul d have the who woul d have the who woul d have the who woul d have the who woul d have the
responsibility of reviewing responsibility of reviewing responsibility of reviewing responsibility of reviewing responsibility of reviewing
every fi l m. Her work i n every fi l m. Her work i n every fi l m. Her work i n every fi l m. Her work i n every fi l m. Her work i n
human rights took up the human rights took up the human rights took up the human rights took up the human rights took up the
bulk of her time, leaving her bulk of her time, leaving her bulk of her time, leaving her bulk of her time, leaving her bulk of her time, leaving her
perhaps the mornings for perhaps the mornings for perhaps the mornings for perhaps the mornings for perhaps the mornings for
film reviews... film reviews... film reviews... film reviews... film reviews...
working women
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intervened in the various temporalities of film
production and screening, seeing films ahead
of their public screenings when she would
have otherwise missed them (as she did with
Asoka Handagamas Ini Avan which she saw
on the editing table, when she was probably
the first person to see it) or accessed DVD
copies of films after they had been screened,
either through their directors or through friends
(as she did when a copy of Akasa Kusum was
conveyed to her overseas). Many of Sunilas
film reviews were much travelled, getting
written on planes and trains, and in between
meetings. Wherever in the world she was, and
sometimes with some delay, the reviews would
be signed by Vishvapriya and faxed into the
Eya editors.
Sunila initially wrote her reviews by hand on
the pages of exercise books. Her handwriting
was large, usually legible, and uniformly
careful. She typed up her reviews directly on
the computer in later years, using Unicode,
which few people did in that time. She wrote
quickly when inspired by an idea. The language
was usually error free, requiring minimal
editing, but second drafts were necessary
before she became more practised in writing
on the subject in Sinhala. Keen to improve her
writing with feedback, Sunila remained open
to suggestions for changes in content or
analysis. She revised her critiques after further
discussion and consideration, even re-viewing
films on occasion for that purpose.
An appetite and aptitude for learning about
new things, espec ially something like
emerging technology that is conventionally
perceived to be beyond the grasp of people
of an older generation, made Sunila
distinctive. For instance, she made an effort
to learn about digital cinema once she had
to write about it. This material history of her
engagement with cinema testifies to what she
put in to keep growing as a film critic.
Cinema was almost certainly a social occasion
for Sunila, and she did invite friends to
accompany her to films she was to review.
While sometimes the cinema itself did not live
up to the promise of the outing, Sunilas
company and the film discussion to follow was
always worth it.
(Footnotes)
1. Eya was initially published quarterly, then three
times, and finally twice a year.
Many of Sunila Many of Sunila Many of Sunila Many of Sunila Many of Sunilas film reviews s film reviews s film reviews s film reviews s film reviews
were much travelled, getting were much travelled, getting were much travelled, getting were much travelled, getting were much travelled, getting
written on planes and trains, written on planes and trains, written on planes and trains, written on planes and trains, written on planes and trains,
and in between meetings. and in between meetings. and in between meetings. and in between meetings. and in between meetings.
Wherever in the world she Wherever in the world she Wherever in the world she Wherever in the world she Wherever in the world she
was, and someti mes wi th was, and someti mes wi th was, and someti mes wi th was, and someti mes wi th was, and someti mes wi th
some del ay some del ay some del ay some del ay some del ay, t he revi ews , t he revi ews , t he revi ews , t he revi ews , t he revi ews
woul d be si gned by woul d be si gned by woul d be si gned by woul d be si gned by woul d be si gned by
Vishvapriya Vishvapriya Vishvapriya Vishvapriya Vishvapriya
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This is a collective effort to remember Sunila. This article is a
compilation of informal discussions among women who have been
part of Suriya and Poorani womens centre since 1991. We talked
about her support for human rights work, peace work, womens rights
work, capacity building of women activists, fund raising for local
womens groups, her love, her strength and her warmth.
Sunilas involvement with the Poorani women..
Sunila used to come to J affna in the early 1980s, she used to come
with Charles Abeysekera, her father, and the Movement for
Interracial J ustice and Equality. Sunila also came for the funeral of
Rajani Thiranagama. She came with her son, Sanjaya, in 1989.
Sunila
Sunila at the cultural programme of the displaced held
at Ramakrishma Mission hall, 1992, Colombo
Suriya W Suriya W Suriya W Suriya W Suriya Women omen omen omen omens Development s Development s Development s Development s Development
Centre - Batticaloa Centre - Batticaloa Centre - Batticaloa Centre - Batticaloa Centre - Batticaloa
Suriya Womens Development Centre (SWDC) was established
in 1991 with the objective of working with communities affected
by conflict. Suriya works particularly with women and organises
them to voice their perspectives and rights through human rights,
gender empowerment, development and theatre programmes.
Remembering
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At that time the women who were involved in
the Poorani centre got to know Sunila. Poorani
was a safe space and training centre for
women who were affected by the war. In 1991,
Poorani was taken over by the LTTE. The LTTE
women were pressuring them to give the
Poorani funds for their work. The Poorani
women decided to return the money to the
donors, so they closed the centre and moved
to Colombo.
As one former member of Suriya noted when
she spoke at an event organized in Canada
this year During the 1990s, I was forced to
leave J affna because of the unsafe situation
there. Registration with the police was difficult
in Colombo. Sunila would come with me to
the police and it would make things much
easier for me. At this time, large numbers of
Tamils and Muslims were displaced from the
North-East of Sri Lanka to Colombo. I remember
the time I was arrested in 1992 and she came
to the police station to help get my release.
These things happened often in Colombo and
Sunila was always there to help us.
Others also recalled this time during this time
four Poorani women and some of their family
members were arrested by the Dehiwala
Police and kept in the jail there for 3 weeks.
We were trying to set up a group of people to
organize food. We organized a mixed group
foreigners, Muslims, Tamils, Sinhalese men and
women. So the police were aware that many
people knew about this c ase and were
interested in what was happening to them.
We had heard that women were raped in the
Police stations and were very worried for the
protection of these women. Sunila was very
active in getting these women released and
used to regularly visit the Police station.
There were many discussions among women
activists who had been displaced from the
North and activisits based in Colombo like
Sunila. As one founder member of Suriya
recalled we took an auto and went around
to various camps where displaced people
from the and East stayed. We had long
discussions about what we could do. At that
time EPDP was in charge of the camps. We
started negotiating with them about food
rations and other basic services for women.
We didnt have an office. We got a small
space at the back of the Women and Media
Collective office where we started working.
Sunilas politics.
Sunila lived what she stood for. Her life
reflected her values of democracy. Her life
was her message.
Among Tamils and Muslims of this country she
was never seen as an outsider. She had many
friends among different communities. She
made frequent visits to the north and east
even during the hardest times for travel. She
had traveled to the remote villages to collect
stories of those affected. This gave a human
dimension to her documentations of human
rights violations. She maintained a view that
the cause for ethnic conflict is the denial of
equal rights and dignity to one ethnic group.
She had dreamt about Sri Lanka as a country
where rights of all citizens are respected and
democratic practices are upheld. She had
Duri ng the 1990s, I was Duri ng the 1990s, I was Duri ng the 1990s, I was Duri ng the 1990s, I was Duri ng the 1990s, I was
forced to leave Jaffna because forced to leave Jaffna because forced to leave Jaffna because forced to leave Jaffna because forced to leave Jaffna because
of the unsafe situation there. of the unsafe situation there. of the unsafe situation there. of the unsafe situation there. of the unsafe situation there.
Registration with the police Registration with the police Registration with the police Registration with the police Registration with the police
was di ffi cul t i n Col ombo. was di ffi cul t i n Col ombo. was di ffi cul t i n Col ombo. was di ffi cul t i n Col ombo. was di ffi cul t i n Col ombo.
Sunila would come with me Sunila would come with me Sunila would come with me Sunila would come with me Sunila would come with me
to the police and it would to the police and it would to the police and it would to the police and it would to the police and it would
make things much easier for make things much easier for make things much easier for make things much easier for make things much easier for
me. me. me. me. me.
working women
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working women
She taught me how to break She taught me how to break She taught me how to break She taught me how to break She taught me how to break
barriers within myself about barriers within myself about barriers within myself about barriers within myself about barriers within myself about
the fear of darkness, and the fear of darkness, and the fear of darkness, and the fear of darkness, and the fear of darkness, and
about fear of mobility about fear of mobility about fear of mobility about fear of mobility about fear of mobility. .. ..
viewed the ethnic issue from a democratic
perspec tive. She never ac c epted the
concepts of majority, minority. For her, all
individuals should have freedom and rights. In
Sunilas politics she highlighted the rights
abuses c ommitted by the state under
Prevention of Terrorism Act and Emergency
regulations. She also denounced violations by
Tamil armed groups including the LTTE. Sunila
had to pay the price for her unwavering
defense for the rights of Tamils. She was
branded as a traitor of the country and had to
face threats to her life. She had always talked
about a political solution to the ethnic issue.
She denounced violence and militarism. She
brought a feminist perspective into peace
building.
Journeys - some glimpses of her
human rights work..
She was involved in doc umenting
disappearances in the East from 1987 onwards.
She didnt just come to the town areas. She
made many visits into little villages in the East
in Internal areas. In 2008, when people were
sent bac k to their villages after being
displac ed for many months, there were
rumours about women being raped, especially
women living alone. There were rumours of
women being sexually harassed during round
ups and house to house checks in the nights.
Sunila visited during this time. She stood as
the frontline voice and face and negotiated
with the military to gain access to these areas
in internal Battic aloa. She provided
protec tion and c over for loc al women
activists.
Another woman recalled I remember her
work post tsunami. She was the one who
pushed for citizens committees for people to
give testimonies after the tsunami disaster.
She brought a rights-focus into post tsunami
reconstruction. She would sit the whole day
on peoples tribunals listening to person after
person, never stopping them until they finished
what they had come to say.
In one of her last visit to Batticaloa in 2011,
she wanted to visit the Kathiraveli school
where displaced families had stayed and was
damaged by shelling in 2006. She was ill by
this time. But still she travelled.
She always took care of people
When someone was sick she bought them food
and kept them in her house. It wasnt just work
for her, she embodied those things she wrote
and talked about. She really lived it. She gave
her time and had very strong personal
connections and gave personal care. When
some of the women from Suriya went to
Discussions on womens rights issues in the Post
Tsunami context Batticaloa 2005
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international forums for the first time, she
always took care of them. She discussed their
presentations and gave guidance on how to
be careful and what issues to raise. She always
gave confidence to local women to speak at
international events. She took women
shopping, to the night markets, site seeing, to
experience new food.
From bus stops to police
stations..she was the one to
call.
Onc e when the c ultural group went to
Colombo for a performance at the SLFI, the
girls had gone outside for sightseeing and had
taken some photographs of the public library.
This was 1997. The police came and arrested
the woman leader of the cultural group. Sunila
immediately took steps to negotiate with the
Police and calm down the other members of
the cultural group who had gone for the first
time to Colombo to perform.
As another women activist recalled I used to
be a person who didnt travel much. In 1996 I
just joined Suriya as a board member. I was
invited to make a presentation on womens
health in Induruwa. I was from J affna, living in
Batticaloa. 13 check points to pass to reach
Colombo. Sunila promised to pick me up in
Colombo. I arrived at 10.30 in the night. I was
inside a small Tamil tea shop in Petta. I was
waiting for her. I had a cup of tea. I was really
panicking. Then suddenly she arrived in a van
full of women. She had already picked up many
other women. She was leaning out of the
window asking if there is Tamil woman waiting
in the shop. Her voice when I heard it gave
me onfidence. The shop people didnt want
to let me go with a bunch of women, without
a man! She got down from the van and talked
with them. She taught me how to break barriers
within myself about the fear of darkness, and
about fear of mobility.
Mentoring women and local
womens organizations.
She always gave us new ideas. Even when she
was quite seriously ill she sent her comments
for the Suriya AGM or wanted to skype in. She
was actively involved in whatever way she
could. She brought international debates and
feminist ideas into our discussions, so we could
guide our own work with what was happening
internationally. She also pushed women to
participate and speak in international forums.
She always found a way to bring together
people with different perspec tives and
different backgrounds. Sunila has trained
many generations of women at Suriya and the
East through the SANGAT South Asian Gender
Training Programme. She has also supported
local womens organisations through fund
raising and endorsing for proposals. For
example, when the womens crisis centre in
Batticaloa, had run out of funds and was
desperately looking for funds to not close
down, Sunila mobilized international funds and
recommended the centre to be supported.
Celebrating Sunilas Human Right Defender
award in Batticaloa - 2008
working women
Photos | Suriya Women's Develpmment Centre
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My work intertwined closely with some
aspects of Sunilas work over the last thirty-
five years - This was in the areas of feminist
activism; human rights and womens rights
activism and activism around the ethnic
conflict and peace building in Sri Lanka.
Sunilas contribution to all these arenas of work
is of such magnitude that an account as short
as this cannot begin to do justice to any of it.
I therefore choose to write here only about
Sunila s c ontribution to c atalyzing the
activism of the nascent feminist/ womens
movement of the early 1980s and the feminist
theorizing she encouraged to underpin this
activism. When I first met Sunila in 1979, her
political persuasions were left leaning and she
herself had just come out of a brief spell in the
J VP. At the time, she together with a number
of women in the different political formations
of the left, particularly the New Left, were
disillusioned by the marginalisation of women
and womens concerns by these seemingly
radical social movements. Sunila therefore
began seeking alternate spaces for her social
and political activism.
The social tumult of the 1970s and exposure to
radic al thought and new c onsc iousness
paved the way for an upsurge of feminist
ac tivity nationally, some of whic h was
influenced by the resurgence of interest and
commitment to feminism internationally. This
influence was to find fertile ground in Sri
Lanka, already steeped in a rich history of
womens activism in class struggle, nationalist
We were We were
We were We were We were
Feminist First Sunila Feminist First Sunila
Feminist First Sunila Feminist First Sunila Feminist First Sunila
Kumuduni Samuel Kumuduni Samuel Kumuduni Samuel Kumuduni Samuel Kumuduni Samuel
Kumudini Samuel is a founder
member and former director of
the Women and Media
Collective. She is a womens and
human rights advocate.
"People read it the JVP in prison, the campuses,
Leena [Haputhanthri]. It was interesting, at that time
there was no publicity, no one did reviews but it came
at a particular moment where anybody who was doing
Left politics, was interested in the kanthaprashnaya or
woman question." - Sunila Abeysekera
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politics and liberal feminist struggles for equal
rights in the pre Independence period and
immediately after.
By the mid 70s many of the women associated
with progressive organisations and
movements went on to form feminist womens
organisations. These included Kantha Handa
(1976), Muslim Womens Research and Action
Forum (MWRAF) and the Academy of Adult
Education for Muslim Women (1976), Hatton
Womens Committee (1976), followed by a
spate of autonomous womens groups in the
early 1980s the Womens Education and
Research Centre, the Womens Study Circle,
J affna, the Centre for Womens Research, the
Women s Liberation Movement, the
Progressive Womens Front, the Womens
Centre and so on. Sunila too went on to form
the Women and Media Collective (WMC) in
1984.
In her search for alternative spaces in which
to further her feminist persuasions, Sunila
teamed up with Kumari J ayawardene to write
a pamphlet titled Kantha Handa: Mai Dina
Kalamba 1,(Voice of Women: May Day Issue
No.1)
1
, on the myths about women, which they
distributed at the joint May Day rally of the
Left in 1975. Both authors recalled the activity
in private conversation but neither had a copy
of the document. I located it by chance in an
old miscellaneous file at the WMC in J une 2006
and both Kumari and Sunila subsequently
corroborated its genealogy. This collaboration
led to the next important piece of work. This
was the Marga publication in 1976 titled
Kanthava Samajaya Vimukthiya (Women
Society Liberation) in two volumes, which
contained a series of articles translated, from
English into Sinhala by Sunila. She noted that
in the process of selection she and Kumari
J ayawardena chose everything linked to the
struggle and said: It was totally in the
socialist mode. What a party cadre would
choose. Although I was not in a party and
neither was Kumari.
2
Indeed, the c hoic e of artic les is very
interesting. It was virtually a feminist reader
on the womens question for a Sinhala public.
The first volume introduced feminism and
liberalism. It carefully mixed Marxist pioneers
with the radical thinkers of the Enlightenment
and moved on to early liberal feminists Mary
Wollstonecroft, Sourjourner Truth, Virginia
Woolf and Kate Millet. Also included was a
piece by Ananda Coomaraswamy entitled
The Situation of Indian Women. Volume II,
however, was truly a handbook for the Marxist.
It made a case for socialism and feminism by
including appropriate writings from across the
spectrum of revolutionary founding fathers
and those of the Second International who
theorised on women and socialism. Included
were Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, August
Bebel, Mao Tse-tung and Fidel Castro. Also
inc luded were radic al selec tions from
Alexandra Kolontai, Sheila Rowbotham, Maria
Mies and Maria Rosa Della Costa, which
introduced a revolutionary perspective into
a range of everyday womens concerns from
labour to violence, abortion and housework.
The volume employed the inspired strategy of
presenting a range of experienc es that
spanned the world from China to India, and
Iran to Vietnam.
Many women activists of the late 70s and early
80s claim these books as the first nurturers of
their journey into socialist-feminist politics.
While feminist discourse has moved beyond
these authors today, Sunila noted:
People read it the J VP in prison, the
campuses, Leena [Haputhanthri]. It was
interesting, at that time there was no publicity,
no one did reviews but it c ame at a
particular moment where anybody who was
doing Left politics, was interested in the
kanthaprashnaya or woman question.
3
As she created this space in the ideological
realm Sunila remained convinced, like some
of us distanc ing ourselves from the
working women
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institutionalized left, that we needed to keep
our links to progressive social formations such
as the nascent human rights movement, the
trade-union movement and peasant or
church-linked organisations of the day. These
included the Civil Rights Movement (1971), the
Centre for Soc iety and Religion, the
Devasarana Development Centre,the
Satyodaya Centre for Social Encounter (1972),
the Co-ordinating Secretariat for Plantation
Areas (1974), the Movement for Inter-Racial
J ustice and Equality (1979), the Movement for
the Defence of Democratic Rights (1980) and
Church linked organisations such as the Centre
for Society and Religion, the Socio-Economic
Development Centre (SEDEC), the Student
Christian Movement (SCM), and the Christian
Workers Fellowship (CWF).
Coming out of left party politics, Sunila quickly
grasped the importanc e of building an
alliance with the newly emerging feminist
groups as a base from which to engage in the
broader social movement politics of the day.
This was the impetus that motivated her to
begin the proc ess that established the
Womens Action Committee (WAC).
The women coming together to form the WAC
were from the: Progressive Womens Front
(1981)
4
, Hatton Womens Committee (1976)
5
,
Women and Media Collective (1982 and
formalized in 1984)
6
, Kantha Handa (1976)
7
,
National Christian Counc il Women s
Commission
8
, Womens Liberation Movement
(1981)
9
, Malabe Community Education Centre
(1982)
10
, Negombo Women s Committee
(1981)
11
, Women s Centre (1982).
12
Also
involved in this initiative was Pulsara Liyanage
of the University of Kelaniya, then a member
of the Movement for Inter-Racial J ustice and
Equality and the Vikalpa Kandayama
(Alternative Group), who remained in the
WAC as an independent member.
13
Sunila rec alled that a few women were
meeting about mid-1982, wanting to do
something but not having a public space and
a public voice apart from their involvement
in the panthi satana (class struggle)and the
govi aragalaya (peasant struggle).
I called a meeting at the Centre for Society
and Religion because through the church
circuit I knew Devasarana, the All-Lanka
Peasant Congress, the Community Education
Centre, Malabe and Anita (Fernando),
Christian Workers Fellowship, Hatton, and
Annathai Abeysekera and Audrey (Rebera)
we had a casual discussion about what we
could do around International Womens Day.
Maybe we did a leaflet and quite soon
afterwards there was the Polytex strike the
one that provided the space for us to come
together. We also met at the SCM office.
14
Audrey Rebera, corroborating Sunila, recalls:
I vividly remember Sunila sitting at the SCM
typewriter and typing several things about the
WAC. Sunila was the person who got other
people together to form the WAC We were
meeting before the Polytex strike. There was
working women
Sunila propelled the WAC Sunila propelled the WAC Sunila propelled the WAC Sunila propelled the WAC Sunila propelled the WAC
to soci al movement to soci al movement to soci al movement to soci al movement to soci al movement
activism but at the same activism but at the same activism but at the same activism but at the same activism but at the same
time was conscious that in time was conscious that in time was conscious that in time was conscious that in time was conscious that in
some struggles, women some struggles, women some struggles, women some struggles, women some struggles, womens s s s s
autonomous organi zi ng autonomous organi zi ng autonomous organi zi ng autonomous organi zi ng autonomous organi zi ng
was i ndi spensabl e as was i ndi spensabl e as was i ndi spensabl e as was i ndi spensabl e as was i ndi spensabl e as
women women women women womens issues were still a s issues were still a s issues were still a s issues were still a s issues were still a
blind spot in the broader blind spot in the broader blind spot in the broader blind spot in the broader blind spot in the broader
social movement. social movement. social movement. social movement. social movement.
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Sunila, Nimalka SCM was a great
influencethere were three SCM General
Secretaries on the podium of a WAC Womens
Day meeting, I think 1984 or 1985. There was
Nimalka, Kumudhini Rosa and Annathai.
15
Sunila believed alliance building around
national issues allowed for the recognition of
difference while retaining a commitment to
broader unity around commonalities and
political practice. She also believed that
social movements and social movement
mobilizations emerged in times of political
crisis or upheaval. They are processes in
constant change and transformation which
enable the development of wide-ranging
alliances that have led to tremendous social,
politic al and ec onomic c hange
(Abeysekera, 2003).
16
And so Sunila propelled the WAC to social
movement activism but at the same time was
conscious that in some struggles, womens
autonomous organizing was indispensable as
womens issues were still a blind spot in the
broader social movement. She noted years
later that when the WAC met we were
talking about the jala badu aragalaya, (water
tax struggle) the seeni aragalaya(sugar
struggle), Polytex aragalaya(Polytex struggle)
or the Nirmala Nithiyanandan nidahas karanu
aragalaya (free Nirmala Nithiyanandan
struggle),and so on. Some of these were
common struggles. We continued to feel the
need to be in the male-dominated, male-led
mainstream social movements. But some, like
the campaign against night work or the
campaign to release Nirmala, were our own.
17
Looking back on this work nearly 25 years later,
Nimalka Fernando observed to me I learnt
so much from the WAC experience how to
combine grassroots work with theory, how to
work collectively and how to build alliances
and network with the broader soc ial
movement I think the WAC made a huge
contribution to the womens movement in Sri
Lanka. Even today, we women can work
together despite our differences you, I, many
of us, in a way the men cant. This is true about
the men who came out of a similar period,
history and political tradition as us.
18
Reminisc ing on her journey into feminist
politics Sunila once recalled her exposure to
second wave feminist thinking and feminist
liberation theology in the mid-1970s. She told
me of the visit of Egyptian feminist Nawal el
Sadaaviand her speeches at Ladies College
and the SLFP headquarters in Colombo in 1975.
She also recalled the visit of J ane Cottingham
and Krishna Patel from the anti-baby milk
formula/ pro-breast milk campaign, and Kamla
Bhasin who represented the Asian Cultural
Forum for Development (ACFOD) and the
Pacific Asia Womens Forum (PAWF).
19
Later in
the year, Sunila attended a Socialist Womens
Conference in Trivandram, orgnised by the
Communist Party of India (Marxist) with Kumari
J ayawardena, Hema Goonetileke and Lalitha
Gunawardena.
Soon after the WAC was formed Sunila
initiated discussion on what the left termed
the Woman Question and on what our
understanding of feminism could be. A small
group of us Padmini Palliyaguru of the
Progressive Womens Front, Kurunegala and
the Ceylon Teachers Union and Leena Irene
Haputhanthri formerly of the J VP and then part
of the WMC, Sunila and I wrote a note for
discussion titled The Nature of the Womens
Question in Sri Lanka s Soc io-Politic al
Context. (Sri Lankave Samaja Deshapalana
Sandharbaya Thula Kantha Prashnaye
Swabhawaya). This was a discussion document
used in the WAC and subsequently published
in the J ana Handa newspaper of 24 August
1986 entitled Sthreewadaya
working women
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Handunaganeema Sandaha Praweshayak (An
Approach to Understanding Feminism).
Here we define feminism broadly as: An
acceptance that women were subject to a
specific form of oppression; an acceptance
that patriarchy constitutes one of the bases
of this oppression; and the need to organise
autonomously to fight against it. We
understood organising autonomously to
mean being linked to the common struggle
while preserving an independent identity.
Our notion of autonomy was thus linked to the
preservation of an independent identity within
the broader political linkages we chose to
make with social movements. We identified
the following as the three main strands of
feminism:
Liberal Feminism
That which accepts patriarchy as one of the
bases of womens oppression, has no analysis
of the c apitalist system or c apitalist
oppression, and no perception of the need to
change the system. Method of struggle: equal
rights within existing social framework.
Radical Feminism
That whic h ac c epts patriarc hy as the
fundamental cause of all oppression and
presents the main social contradictions as one
between men and women. Method of
struggle: anti-male and separatist.
Socialist Feminism
That which locates the roots of womens
oppression within the capitalist social system
as well as patriarchy, analyses the complex
interrelationship between capitalism and
patriarchy, and understands that both class
struggle as well as the struggle against
patriarchy is necessary for social change.
Method of struggle: autonomous organisation
around women s spec ific c onc erns, but
women should be part of the c ommon
struggle.
Identifying Gaps in Marxist Analysis
For us, feminism was a scientific method of
analysis as well as a method that guided social
change (ibid.). We identified patriarchy as a
system of social oppression within capitalism.
And locating ourselves firmly within the
tradition of socialist feminism or as socialists
concerned with feminist issues, we felt that
feminism served to fill this gap in Marxist
analysis. By so doing, we contended that
feminism was able to use patriarchy in the
analysis of both the oppressive social relations
between men and women as well as the
oppressive struc tures of c apitalism. We
presented women s oppression and
exploitation within the Sri Lankan context by
analysing the nature of womens entry into
and exploitation within the labour market;
capitalist and patriarchal cultural domination
and its exploitation of womens sexuality; and
militarization of society and the increasing
violence against women (ibid.).
Patriarchy
This debate on feminism also noted that social
change, which sought to build a new man and
a new woman, must be based not only on the
economic and political but also on the cultural
re-visioning of society on the transformation
of c ulture and ideology. Therefore, we
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proposed that the struggle for political and
economic change has also to be linked to the
struggle for cultural and ideological change.
This link between c ulture, ideology and
patriarchy was constantly made by Sunila.
Within the sc ope of this analysis she
introduced, in Sinhala, the term patriarchy
Purushaadipaththya into the political
lexic on, filling both an ideologic al and
analytical gap in political discourse. By 1984
Sunila persuaded the WAC to host what we
grandly termed National Conventions, for
both theoretical and strategic discussions.
Speaking of these experiences many years
later, Sunila said in everything we did we
were feminists first.
20
Extending the Feminist Debate
Beyond Socialism to Nationalism
In the late 1970s and early1980s feminist
theorising in Sri Lanka was characterised
mainly by the emphasis on sexual difference,
sometimes intersected by class difference and
womens oppression. The articulation of other
forms of differences such as ethnicity surfaced
in the c ontext of ethnic identity-based
grievances, and in the mid-1980s in response
to the Tamil struggle for self-determination,
and women located themselves in relation to
other identities, namely ethnic, religious,
regional, and so on, other than that of just
being a woman. These were Tamil and Muslim
women, women within liberation movements,
women for whom religious identity was
fundamental, women who identified with
Sinhala or Tamil nationalisms, and so on. Within
the WAC as well, there were regionally-based
groups suc h as the Hatton Women s
Committee, comprised exclusively of Tamil
women from the plantation areas; and the
Womens Study Circle, with which Sunila had
close links, was made up of Tamil women
resident in J affna.
For Sunila, alliance building around national
issues allowed for the rec ognition of
difference while retaining a commitment to
broader unity around commonalities and
political practice.
Therefore in the aftermath of the J uly 1983
pogrom against the Tamil people and the
resurgence of Sinhala nationalism in the south,
Sunila insisted that the WAC continued with
its activism that demanded redress of minority
grievances. It took up concerns of equal rights
and opportunity, particularly for Tamils of the
hill country; state sponsored colonisation in
the Eastern Province; and language rights. It
also continued to agitate for the repeal of
the PTA and Emergency Regulations, and
against the violations of the armed forces and
the police, supporting the work of Women for
Peace and the Mothers Front in J affna. Thirdly
it discussed at community level among its
constituencies the emergence of Sinhala
nationalism as well as the root causes of the
ethnic conflict.
While Sunilas theorizing on feminism shifted
beyond the narrow frame of socialist feminism
over the years of her activism, her conviction
in the importance of coalition and alliance
building held firm. This is reflected in the many
networks and coalitions she either helped to
found or the many she worked with from the
working women
struggle for political and struggle for political and struggle for political and struggle for political and struggle for political and
economic change has also economic change has also economic change has also economic change has also economic change has also
to be linked to the struggle to be linked to the struggle to be linked to the struggle to be linked to the struggle to be linked to the struggle
for cultural and ideological for cultural and ideological for cultural and ideological for cultural and ideological for cultural and ideological
change. change. change. change. change.
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WAC to Women for Peace from the network
Mothers and Daughters of Lanka to the
Polonnaruwa District Committee from SANGAT
to the International Coalition of Women
Human Rights Defenders. Importantly in the
1980s from the experience and strength of
activism that informed theory, and theory that
informed ac tivism, Sunila believed the
womens movement should make strategic
allianc es with soc ial movements while
maintaining independent identities and
autonomy, ac c epting and respec ting
difference.
Certainly her feminist theorizing moved rapidly
beyond socialist feminism to encompass her
human rights activism and steadfast belief in
the indivisibility and inter dependence of
rights to her growing c onvic tion and
identific ation with the new frontiers of
sexuality politics. Fundamentally however
Sunilas theorizing was always grounded in
practice and practicality and so she believed
firmly in building and strengthening
organisations and working in alliance on a
spectrum of issues. The organisations included
the WMC, the Womens Support Group and
INFORM at the national level; Suriya Womens
Development Centre, Batticaloa, the Sunela
Womens Foundation in Polonnaruwa and the
PrajaDiviyaPadanama in Puttalam and
alliances such as the Mothers and Daughters
of Lanka, the Horowapathana Human Rights
Network, the Polonnaruwa District Committee
and the Alliance of Media Organisations to
name a few.
She was concerned with issues as wide ranging
as disappearances to the safety of human
rights defenders; the evictions of urban poor
to the resettlement of the displaced; violence
against women to police torture; the right to
bodily integrity, autonomy and choice to self-
determination; the negative representation
of women to the control of sexuality and
entrenched heteronormativity. And for the
realization and protection of rights Sunila
firmly believed that the work of solidarity, and
c oalition building was of paramount
importance to resistance politics. These were
her enduring legacies to us.
This article was originally published in LST review.
Samuel, Kumudini, We Were Feminist First Sunila, LSTReview
Volume 24, Issue 313 & 314 (2013): pp. 1-7
(Footnotes)
1
This could be considered the first pamphlet/ leaflet of the
new wave of feminist activism in the 1970s in Sri Lanka.
2
Sunila Abeysekera interview, 8 April 2006.
3
Sunila Abeysekera interview, 8 April 2006.
4
Subsequently re-organsied as the Womens Development
Foundation in 1994; Bandara Manike, Daya Ariyawathi,
Hemamala Wijesinghe
5
Subsequently re-organsied as Penn Wimoc hana
Gnanodayam in the 1990s; Annathai Abeysekera
6
WMC; Sunila Abeysekera, Sriyani Perera
7
Kantha Handa; Kumari J ayawardena, Bernadeen Silva,
Mala Dasanayake
8
NCCWC; Audrey Rebera
9
WLM; Kumudhini Rosa and Kumudini Samuel
10
Malabe Community Education Centre; Anita Fernando and
Rose Fernando
11
NWC; Nimalka Fernando
12
Kantha Handa, although a founder member of the WAC,
moved out of a formal affiliation with it in 1984. However,
it continued to support joint actions on selected issues as
an independent entity. The Negombo Women s
Committee ceased to exist as an autonomous organisation
in 1985; Padmini Weerasooriya, Leela Ferdinandsz, Hema
Matharage
13
Geo Seneviratne interview, 6 August 2006. Space was
also created subsequently to include Audrey Rebera as
an independent member, once she concluded her tenure
at the NCC Womens Commission.
14
SunilaAbeysekera interview, 8 April 2006.
15
Audrey Rebera interview, 21 March 2006.
16
See Social Movements, Feminist Movements and the
State: A Regional Perspective, in Women in Action,
available at http:/ www.isiswomen.org/ pub/ wia/ wia2-
04/ sunila.htm, (no page numbers). It was originally
published by Development Alternatives with Women for
a New Era (DAWN).
17
SunilaAbeysekerainterview, 8 April 2006.
18
Nimalka Fernando interview, 5 May 2006.
19
SunilaAbeysekera interview, 2 May 2006.
20
SunilaAbeysekera interview, 2 May 2006.
working women
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PHO PHO
PHO PHO PHOT T
T TTO ESSA O ESSA
O ESSA O ESSA O ESSAY | Y |
Y | Y | Y |
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KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS
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PHO PHO PHO PHO PHOT TT TTO ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSAY | Y | Y | Y | Y | working women
Traditionally, trade unions have been dominated by men. Despite famous women
like Vivienne Gunawardena who were pioneers in socialist politics in the country,
in many contemporary trade union actions it is men who have always been in
the limelight. The 2012 Federation of University Teachers Associations trade
union action which was temporarily suspended, however, had many women
who were actively involved.
Kri shant ha F Kri shant ha F Kri shant ha F Kri shant ha F Kri shant ha Fedri cks edri cks edri cks edri cks edri cks
Krishantha Fedricks works as a lecturer in language
and linguistic s at the department of Sinhala,
University of Colombo. In photography, which is a
favourite pastime, he tries to verbalize the visual.
KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS
Those who rude us would have us appreciate the darkness.
University teachers protesting unfair electricity tariffs.
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Will those who devalue education value Light?
University women and men protesting in Nugegoda.
KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS
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PHO PHO PHO PHO PHOT TT TTO ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSAY | Y | Y | Y | Y | working women
KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS
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KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS
PHO PHO PHO PHO PHOT TT TTO ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSAY | Y | Y | Y | Y | working women
Female academics in the Federation of
University Teachers Associations took their
Save State Education campaign to the 2013
May Day Rallies in Colombo.
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PHO PHO PHO PHO PHOT TT TTO ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSAY | Y | Y | Y | Y | working women
DxcxccxcE.
KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS KRISHANTHA FEDRICKS
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Thul asi Mut t ul i ngam Thul asi Mut t ul i ngam Thul asi Mut t ul i ngam Thul asi Mut t ul i ngam Thul asi Mut t ul i ngam
G ender parity; equality; equity these
are all words we are familiar with by now. How
much of it though exists in reality?
Well, lets see! In a country where women are
52 percent of the population and have a
whopping 5.7 perc ent representation in
parliament - we have a countrywide structure
likewise full of inconsistencies.
In the newspaper industry where I worked for
a long time, gender inequality and oppression
has long been a complaint. So much so that
the South Asian Women in Media (SAWM)
network has an active Sri Lankan chapter to
address the issue.
By the time of the last SAWM conference I
attended in 2013 however, I was under the
impression we had made definite progress. I
was working for a newspaper with a female
editor and deputy editor with 50 percent
females working across the editorial.
Thulasi is a journalist, budding
feminist and perennial truth seeker.
She was told as a c hild that
curiosity killed the cat so instead
of a cat, she became a journalist!
. . . 90 percent of
the front pages
bylines were by
males.
Yet, as a colleague of mine showed at the
conference, 90 percent of the front pages
bylines were by males.
Note: I am not making the case therefore that
this was directly linked to gender oppression. I
could see the startled look on my editors face
when the front page was held up to her. It
certainly wasnt a conscious decision on her
part.
My own analysis (without any backing) would
be that men tend to concentrate more on
hard news (which make it to the front pages)
while the women prefer features or when
doing news in-depth news features, which
are relegated to the back pages.
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working women
There are women however who do work the
hard news rounds too so the preponderance
of male names on the front pages is still an
issue that needs to be addressed. J ust take
any newspaper out there and check. Youll see
only one or two female bylines (if that) on the
front page.
On the flip side, I also know how hard it is to be
the majority gender trying to promote
gender representation of the minority. In the
Features Section where I worked, we were
always predominantly female and often,
exclusively female. The occasional male who
wandered in got terrified of the estrogen in
the room (our feature editors theory) and
vanished after a few months. Its a good thing
we never got called in to explain the high male
staff turnover in our section.
I dont think we did anything consciously
oppressive. We did try hard to retain our male
colleagues but they kept leaving for one
reason or another. Considering the ratio was
about 1:7, I think they felt intimidated and
minoritized despite our best efforts.
The North
On quitting the media industry last year, I came
North, my traditional home land, to work. It
wasnt without qualms. My last job in the North,
in J affna 10 years ago had been a disaster,
when it came to gender relations. Having
grown up abroad, I was shocked by my male
colleagues assumption that they could talk
down to me simply because I was a woman
irrespective of the fact I was their equal in
qualifications and job designation. What was
even more outrageous was that the women
took it as right too, and told me not to talk
back to the men. As in, if they pick on you
dont retort. It wouldnt be seemly for a
woman to be known of as a shrew.
That wasnt the end of it either. Making tea
morning and evening was the staffs job; the
FEMALE staff. If we were busy with office work
and got a little late, wed have to hear things
like What are the women up to? and Cant
depend on these women for anything. I once
snapped at a male colleague harrying me thus
that it was not my job to make tea for him
and got called into the female Administrative
Officers room to be reprimanded. Oh yes, it
is your job to make tea for them. And to wash
their cups after they were done. The female
staff would individually go wash their cups
once they were done. But the male staff like
the entitled lot they were, would let their dirty
cups be, by their desks. It was our job to collect
their cups too and wash them.
The rage built up over such issues was enough
to make me swear off the Northern work sector
forever and a day. But 10 years is a long time
after lic king my wounds long enough in
Colombo, I decided to venture back into the
den again.
There are women however There are women however There are women however There are women however There are women however
who do work the hard news who do work the hard news who do work the hard news who do work the hard news who do work the hard news
rounds t oo so t he rounds t oo so t he rounds t oo so t he rounds t oo so t he rounds t oo so t he
preponderance of mal e preponderance of mal e preponderance of mal e preponderance of mal e preponderance of mal e
names on the front pages names on the front pages names on the front pages names on the front pages names on the front pages
is still an issue that needs is still an issue that needs is still an issue that needs is still an issue that needs is still an issue that needs
to be addressed. Just take to be addressed. Just take to be addressed. Just take to be addressed. Just take to be addressed. Just take
any newspaper out there any newspaper out there any newspaper out there any newspaper out there any newspaper out there
and check. Y and check. Y and check. Y and check. Y and check. You ou ou ou oull see only ll see only ll see only ll see only ll see only
one or two female bylines one or two female bylines one or two female bylines one or two female bylines one or two female bylines
(if that) on the front page. (if that) on the front page. (if that) on the front page. (if that) on the front page. (if that) on the front page.
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It has been a surprisingly hilarious experience.
While I was away, Aid Agencies have been
hard at work introducing gender equality and
strictly enforcing them at least in their own
work spaces. I work in such a workplace now
where the very word gender is enough to
make most men shiver. They dont dare put a
foot wrong, on this issue now.
Apart from enduring their over-cautiousness
and wariness, which is a little off-putting, I must
say I am thoroughly enjoying myself now. There
is no overt chauvinism to deal with. I am
respected for my abilities and not expected
to be meek and quiet. Many people might take
that as their due but women in Sri Lanka,
partic ularly the North, mostly have
experiences to the contrary. 10 years ago, I
would never have thought the change I see
now, was possible.
Some feminists working here are of the opinion
that this is just a surface change; that the men
have just learned to sheath their c laws.
Perhaps, but even that is a major and welcome
change. From a culture that celebrates male
privilege, we are moving towards a more
enlightened understanding of gender parity.
Even if some of the old guard haven t
internalized the idea, they have at least
grasped the idea of political correctness
where they know that overtly chauvinistic
behavior is no longer acceptable. Ill take that
for now.
working women
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We are precarious. This is the beginning
of a description of the work done by the
feminist group Precarias a la deriva
1
.
During a moment of strike action in J une
2002 in Spain, the group realised that the
jobs traditionally undertaken by women
workers, the fragmented, informal,
invisible work were not being recognised
by the unions calling the strike. Therefore
they toured the picket lines asking women
why they were striking, what conditions they
worked under, and whether they had the
tools to confront the situations they were
put into.
It is difficult to resist the temptation to ask
these same questions of women
academics. Being an academic does
suggest a level of privilege in the world of
work. And yet, many academics today,
battle the problem of belonging to the
political constituency of the precariat. It is
important to note that precarity isnt
something that necessarily affects those on
the margins and then inveigles its way into
the center. As Isabelle Lorey
2
notes, the
decrease in the number of permanent
contracts and the increase in temporary
positions asks for a workforce that is
marked by a high degree of mobility,
unable to access contractual benefits such
as health insurance, pensions and holidays,
indicated that precarity is already at the
center. For academic women, belonging
to a group that has always flirted with
precarity, and the temporariness of our
labours worth, the issue is amplified.
Academic women,
precarious subjects.
Anu Ranawana Anu Ranawana Anu Ranawana Anu Ranawana Anu Ranawana
Anupama Ranawana studies the small
voices in religion for her doctoral thesis at the
University of Aberdeen. In her other time,
she is involved in the conversation on human
rights and development in South Asia,
espec ially Sri Lanka. She twitters here
@MsAMR25, and blogs in a scattered manner
at polmess.wordpress.com
while it is possible to
find women working
in Security and War
Studies in academia,
these are spaces
customarily staffed by
men, and the women
who work here are,
more often than not,
found working on
studies of the
sexualisation, rape,
and /or position of the
woman in war.
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Take female academic work. As the 2011
report The Leaking Pipeline
3
found, male
academics outnumber female academics
significantly, not because of any issue of
ability, but simply because in the job
selection process, more male candidates
are eventually selected than female
candidates. This leads to more female
candidates dropping out of academia to
consider alternative routes. Many female
applicants will still refrain from mentioning
plans to marry or have children when in
an interview. As Mary Ann Mason advised
junior female academics in J une 2013,
having a baby is the wrong move for your
career. In a co-authored book, Mason
4
found that women in academia who were
married and had families were, more often
than not, to be found working in the
sec ond tier of part-time, adjunc t,
prec arious positions. Marginalisation
happens also at the level of academic
relevance. Similar to the position of an
academic of colour, it is more often that
feminist critique , and female scholarship
is traditionally found in nic he and
traditionally marginalised loc ales of
academia. Relevant work, of course, but
relevant because it is from the margins.
As an example, while it is possible to find
women working in Security and War Studies
in academia, these are spaces customarily
staffed by men, and the women who work
here are, more often than not, found
working on studies of the sexualisation,
rape, and / or position of the woman in
war.
working women
In an environment
where one becomes
a product, and where
research is reduced
to impact,
knowledge needs
commercial
transferability,
the academic,
epecially the female
academic worker,
faced with
professional failures
that are equal to
moral failures,
distances themselves
from resistance.
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In an environment where one becomes a
product, and where research is reduced
to impact, knowledge needs commercial
transferability, the academic, epecially the
female academic workers, faced with
professional failures that are equal to
moral failures, distances themselves from
resistance. As Rosalind Gill
5
argues, we
become model neo-liberal subjects. Easily
then, our natural political constituency will
be that of the precariat, neo-liberal
c apital s ever-growing c lass. It is
increasingly important , therefore, for both
feminist critique and central academic
administrations to focus on highlighting
and encouraging new forms of resistance,
activism, and directions for feminist and
female-led research.
Endnotes
1
Precarias a la deriva. (2004) Adrift through the
c irc uits of feminized prec arious work.
Transversal.
2
Lorey, Isabell (2010) Bec oming Common,
Precarization as Political Constituting. E-flux (06).
3
(2011). Stop the Leaking Pipeline: The Future of
Female Academics. University of Twente
4
Mason et al, (2013). Do Babies Matter: Gender
and Family in the Ivory Tower.Rutgers University
Press
5
Gill, R (2009), Breaking the silence: The Hidden
Injuries of Neo-liberal academia.Secrecy and
Silenc e in the Researc h Proc ess: Feminist
Reflections. London: Routledge.
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Capt El mo Jayawardena Capt El mo Jayawardena Capt El mo Jayawardena Capt El mo Jayawardena Capt El mo Jayawardena
Capt Elmo J ayewardena is the author of the
Gratian Prize Winning Sams Story which
was recently made into a film.
Its time more of the fairer sex wore flying boots and flew the yonder blue
fighting for equal share in a male-dominated profession. Can women
fly? Of course they can and they will, if only more of the mini-skirt and
mascara types gave serious considerations to their infant ambitions of
wearing wings and gold-braided epaulettes on their shoulders. I have been
a sky tramp for long and have trained pilots for almost four decades. No,
there is no difference; a woman can be as good as a man when flying an
aeroplane. The need then is for the fledgling ladybird to hear a different
drummer and muster the courage to buck the odds that are merely
statistical in the flying fraternity. Of course it has to be a committed belief
and certainly not a whim and a fancy that will fizzle out like a morning mist.
The cockpit is not patented to men nor are they the gate-keepers of the
field of aviation. That is the truth. The sky is a place for professional pilots
and should not have any gender monopoly. It certainly has slots for women
who take the challenge.
When once you have tasted flight,
you will forever walk the earth with
your eyes turned skyward, for there
you have been and there you will
always long to return
- da Vinci

In this issues male point of view, a former pilot invites women to fly
You are
cleared for Take Off,
Lady
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If you are young, go for a professional career. There are enough females
punching holes in the sky and making a remarkable living out of it. If you are
not so young, then go and learn to roam the sky as a Private Pilot and obtain
a license in Sri Lanka. There are 14 airports dotting the island and the
landscape from above is breath-taking and vividly varying. An azure blue sky
with cartoon clouds and a green carpet of trees and shrubs underneath is a
common sight. A cobalt sea bordered by a golden belt of a beach and palms
dancing to monsoonal winds is what you see when you fly the coasts. What
more can one ask from the cockpit of a little aeroplane?
Yes, I flew the world and the local skies too. Sri Lankas views are perfect
picture postcards and more beautiful than most I have seen anywhere. You
need to fly to see it. It is certainly worth a try.
So how does one become a pilot? As long as you leave your feminine komale
behind and you are not the Aiyo, aney, apoi type, you can fly aeroplanes,
good as any man. Same pitfalls, same frustrations and same job-seeking
disappointments; but it is a level playing field and I have yet to see any
discrimination purely for being a female. To become a career pilot is a difficult
ambition to achieve. Yet it is exhilarating, perhaps much more than you can
ever imagine. To fly aeroplanes with a lifetime commitment is certainly the
zenith of satisfaction to one who is in love with the sky. That much I learnt in my
long years of being a professional pilot.
So ladies, align your compass and aim at the moon. Turning finals over the
Negombo Lagoon is something I will never forget. Or a sunrise painting Adams
Peak or a pastel-shaded twilight on a western sky are masterpieces I simply
loved. If your fancy is light aeroplanes, run your engine at Koggala and lift off
passing Madol Duuwa and navigate your way to Anuradhapura looking for
Ruwan Veli Saaya, lady! that is beautiful flying. It is all there for you if you are
willing to take the challenge.
Who knows one of you may become a pioneering Emilia Earhart or a West
with the Night Beryl Markham or simply another Sri Lankan lady who believed
in herself and made up her mind to fly aeroplanes.
Good luck to you, wake up from your dream! J ust grit your teeth and go find a
way to become a pilot!
Blue skies
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The protracted civil war in Sri Lanka fought for nearly three decades
has caused physical and mental disabilities among generations of the
Sri Lankan population. Fierce fighting during the final stages of the war
in Wanni dramatically increased the number of Persons with Disabilities
(PWDs) in the country although they have not been accounted through
an official census. The last time the government conducted an official
census on PWDs was in 2001 where the number of PWDS in Sri Lanka
stood at 274,711.
1
However the figures of this census exclude the war
affected north-east provinces. At present, there is no official figure
available on physical or mental disabilities caused by the war. However
the estimates of Sri Lanka Foundation for Rehabilitation of the Disabled
(SLFRD) indicate that 1015% of the northern population is physically
handicapped as a result of the war.
2
W W
W WWomen Br omen Br
omen Br omen Br omen Bread ead
ead ead ead W W
W WWinners inners
inners inners inners
Disability Disability
Disability Disability Disability
Chandula is a post graduate student of the
University of Colombo specializing on Conflict and
Peace Studies. She graduated from the University
of Sri J ayawardanapura. Her professional and
academic work focuses on: Human Rights, Gender,
Peac e Building, Post-war development and
Reconciliation.
Chandul a Kumbukage Chandul a Kumbukage Chandul a Kumbukage Chandul a Kumbukage Chandul a Kumbukage
Saroja inside her shop serving a customer
and and
and and and
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In any society, the disabled are among the
most marginalized. They are often excluded
from development, education, health services
and employment. The situation is even worse
for women with physical or mental disabilities.
The UN notes that disabled women are
multiply disadvantaged as a result of
exclusion based on their gender and their
disability.
3
According to OXFAM disabled
females have less access to education, health
care and employment than disabled males.
During a field visit I made to Kilavikulam village
in Vavuniya, the Secretary of the village
Womens Rural Development Society (WRDS)
informed me about an initiative taken by them
to support a disabled woman called Saroja in
their village to start a small grocery shop by
facilitating a grant of Rupees 100,000 from the
State.
Saroja inside her shop serving a customer
When I visited her grocery shop adjacent to
her small house, I got to know that there are
two more disabled members living in her
family. Saroja a young mother of three lost her
right arm to a shell during the war in 2009. The
same shell caused her daughter to lose a limb
and paralysed both arms of her husband. Due
to this, her husband cannot engage in a
livelihood, so Saroja had to (literally) single-
handedly shoulder the responsibility of
supporting her family. Income generating
opportunities for Saroja in her largely under-
developed village were limited to agriculture
and casual labour. She couldnt engage in
either due to her own disability and the
responsibility of taking care of her younger
children as well as her husband and daughter
who are disabled.
The WRDS, having heard her plight, facilitated
Saroja to secure a State grant to open a small
groc ery shop near her house. The shop
managed by Saroja sells essential items and
generates a sufficient income for the family
to meet their daily expenses. Her daughter
now goes to the village school and is studying
in the sixth grade. My daughter came second
in class at the first semester exam. She scored
good results without even going for tuition
classes. She also dreams of taking part in sports.
It breaks my heart to think that she will not be
able to walk and do sports like her two young
brothers said Saroja in tears. This family
undoubtedly has a long way to recovery.
At a time when persons with disabilities are
exc luded from relief, rehabilitation and
development initiatives, the case of Saroja
on one hand serves as a rare instance of
inclusion of PWDs in development and on the
other hand demonstrates the capacity of
Kilavikulam WRDS led by women to address
the pressing issues of its people.
Footnotes
1
Sri Lanka (2001). Brief analysis of characteristics of the
disabled persons, Census of Population and Housing
2001, accessed from www.statistics.gov.lk/
PopHouSat/PDF/p8%20Disabled%20Chapter.pdf on 29
J uly 2011.
2
SRI LANKA: Peace Brings Little for the War-Disabled By
Amantha Perera , IPS, 18 December 2011, http:/ /
www.ipsnews.net/ 2011/ 12/ sri-lanka-peace-brings-
little-for-the-war-disabled/
3
UN Factsheets on Persons with Disabilities http:/ /
www.un.org/ disabilities/ default.asp?navid=33&pid=18
working women
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PHO PHO PHO PHO PHOT TT TTO ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSAY | Y | Y | Y | Y | working women
RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SILV VV VVA AA AA
Rashmini de Silva Rashmini de Silva Rashmini de Silva Rashmini de Silva Rashmini de Silva
Rashmini is a keen amateur photographer wth
a strong penchant for street photography.
While being a student of Sociology, she likes
to travel, explore c ommunities, arc hive
memories and tell stories from her camera.
zuu yeuodu;a m;a;r lshjkjd'
Bg mia fia tA jd wrf.ka ud T;kjdZ'
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PHO PHO PHO PHO PHOT TT TTO ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSAY | Y | Y | Y | Y | working women
RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SILV VV VVA AA AA
A transaction of benevolence - sharing profits of
one's own kind
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PHO PHO PHO PHO PHOT TT TTO ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSAY | Y | Y | Y | Y | working women
RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SILV VV VVA AA AA
Lingering thoughts of retirement
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Unfocused from mundane distractions -
the intricate work of a woman-powered
machine
PHO PHO PHO PHO PHOT TT TTO ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSAY | Y | Y | Y | Y | working women
RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SILV VV VVA AA AA
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Amma's very own market associates
PHO PHO PHO PHO PHOT TT TTO ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSAY | Y | Y | Y | Y | working women
RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SILV VV VVA AA AA
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An industry of her own
PHO PHO PHO PHO PHOT TT TTO ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSA O ESSAY | Y | Y | Y | Y | working women
RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SIL RASHMINI DE SILV VV VVA AA AA
Other material related to the theme of this issue used in the
OPTIONS Webzine
http://options.womenandmedia.org/
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