Nayomi Munaweera Reflection
November 16th, 2017
On November 16th and 17th, author and activist Nayomi Munaweera came to speak to the Poly community and share her stories about the Sri Lankan civil war. Ms. Munaweera, who is ethnically Sinhala, escaped Sri Lanka with her family and moved first to Nigeria and then to the Los Angeles area. Though she was not living in Sri Lanka during the majority of the civil war, she still had a fascinating perspective as a member of the Sri Lankan diaspora.
Prior to Ms. Munaweera’s visit, the other Global Scholars and I all read her masterful novel, Island of a Thousand Mirrors. I found her book and writing style to be intensely moving. Moreover, I felt that her choice to present the story from both Tamil and Sinhala perspectives left me with a much more nuanced understanding of the conflict.
In a smaller discussion with the Global Scholars and the Poly poetry class, Ms. Munaweera shared impactful stories of the wartime experiences of her friends and family living in Sri Lanka. She also described the process of becoming a published writer, which was definitely eye-opening. I appreciated her insight into the publishing process, and I know that members of the poetry class were equally- if not more- impacted by her words.
One thing I would like to have heard more about was how Ms. Munaweera prepared to write from a Tamil perspective, since she is Sinhala. Did she interview Tamils who were in Sri Lanka during the conflict? This seems unlikely, considering the breadth of ill-feeling that still exists between the two ethnic groups. She did mention having a Tamil boyfriend as a teenager with whom she is still in touch, so it’s possible that his family connected her to other members of the Tamil diaspora. Regardless, Ms. Munaweera’s portrayal of Tamils in Island of a Thousand Mirrors was both affecting and sensitive, and I applaud her attempt to write without bias.
