Sri Lankan Reconciliation Project

Attended launch tonight of the ‘Ancient cultures, new futures’ Sri Lankan reconciliation photographic exhibition. Poignant. Poetic. Powerful.The exhibition starts with the all-pervading presence of the physical and cultural beauty of the country, which penetrates every aspect of Sri Lankan life. It then takes up the unavoidable theme of the trauma to which all—old and young—have been exposed. Building on these clusters of ideas and images, the photographs highlight the struggle—often frustrated and thwarted by false starts and disappointing failures—to emerge joyfully from the cruel and unhappy past. Four motifs run through the entire narrative: the rich and diverse ancient culture; the unfinished, poignant legacy of the conflict; the determined re-establishment of everyday life; and the struggle for a world of renewed possibilities and shared achievement.