Interwoven threads of our cultural fabric
Professor Asoka de Zoysa speaking at the event
An entrance speckled with oil lamps and multi-coloured ‘Kolum’ patterns on the floor promised an evening doused in culture which is precisely what ‘Samkathana’ was designed to be. Marking the inauguration of ‘The Festival of Discourse Communities’ it was an evening of celebration for the research team of HETC (Higher Education for Twenty-first Century ) Windows 3 Project of the Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya.
The HETC project was meant to collect and document data of communities, under-represented in mainstream ethnographic research. Researchers were engaged in collecting linguistic data of ‘Discourse Communities’ and disseminate the information and document the rich fabric of Sri Lankan culture. Three distinct make-shift altars set the scene for renowned houses of dance which have produced dancers for generations to perform parts of rituals. Sitting on mats, the audience was captivated by powerful chanting and the haunting resonance of the ‘DaulBereya’ made slightly more ominous by the plummeting rain and streaks of distant lightning .
From the rarely seen Kohombakankkariya generally performed through-out the night, condensed to a few short minutes to the Bali Shanti Karmaya, which is an invocation of blessing from the deity Vishnu and the planetary gods various religious and celebratory dance forms came to life. “These are not really performances” Professor Asoka de Zoysa says to those gathered “It must be remembered that they are rituals which have been altered to suit current day needs.”
Launching the symposium of Discourse Communities, the area of study which essentially involves observing aspects of communities like behaviour and rituals, the research team has been observing communities around the country. “Even the mats the people sat on are from a Discourse Community in the North.”
The task for the research team who range from graduates to qualified post graduates from state universities, however, was to observe rituals and arts in the various communities.
Having brought to light stunning results in terms of linguistics in other parts of the world for the past 20 years, John Swales of the University of Michigan who is deemed the father of Discourse Community delivered the evening’s key note address.
