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Magazine |
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Ayesha
R. Rafiq speaks to a cross section of Sri Lankan youth on the peace
process The ethnic
war has been raging for two decades now. It has cost us a large
number of our country's young lives. We've lived through war and
its repercussions and no doubt we've been afraid. Not all or most
of the time may be, but certainly some of the time And now there
is peace. And the price of peace too has to be paid. Jubilant victory
one week, the depths of uncertainty and fear the next. Will this
be lasting peace or a fleeting glimpse of it? With history
in the making, one would naturally assume that the same people who
could rattle off by memory Sanath Jayasuriya's cricket history or
who the latest victim in the latest string of 'five-star violence'
was would also be up to date with at least some of the more salient
aspects of a process that could make or break our country. The ceasefire
between the rebels and the government began in February last year.
Since then, there have been no bombs in Colombo, barricades have
been lifted, droves of people who have never before set foot in
northern Sri Lanka have begun organising trips to Jaffna and Trincomalee,
hotels in the north are being hurriedly refurbished, the tourist
industry has boomed, peace talks have begun and so much more. Yet, when the
Mirror Magazine went out on the streets and did a random survey
of youth from different walks of life such as bankers, home makers,
school and university students, nurses and electrical workers -
the general attitude was one of apathy and indifference. Many of those
we spoke to said they were unaffected by any changes that had been
brought about. Said Yuresh Gunawardana, a 23-year-old student at
the Institute of Technological Studies, "I don't follow the
peace process because I am not very interested in it. The outcome
won't affect me one way or another as I'm going abroad in a week
for my studies." Thushara Hemantha,
a 28-year-old electrical odd job man, admits it is a fault on his
part that he does not follow news about the peace process. "I
know I should be more involved in the whole thing, but I just don't
understand what the news is telling me. If it was more simplified,
then maybe the man on the road like me could understand it."
And this was also the view expressed by several others. Of the 40 people
we spoke to, every one of them without exception, when asked if
we could talk to them about the peace process, either defensively
put their hands up and said they didn't know anything about it or
admitted to a vague knowledge of what was happening. And that did
turn out to be the case. To our question,
do you know where the peace talks are being held, we received answers
ranging from Philippines to Netherlands, and one twenty-two-year-old
student said the peace talks were going on between the LTTE and
the Netherlands, and was not aware that the Sri Lankan government
was in any way involved. While a little
less than half the number of people we spoke to could name the chief
negotiators of the government and LTTE teams, few could name anyone
on the Norwegian team other than Erik Solheim. Two people
knew what the problems over the High Security Zones are and that
the progress of the talks is being hindered, while Niranjan Fernando,
a 33-year-old architect said he didn't know what the problem was,
but he did hear that it had been solved, 'so that's a good thing,
whatever the problem was'. An account
manager who didn't wish to be named, said that suspicion for the
Tamils is now definitely less. "Being a Tamil, I feel it more
than most. There's a definite difference in the atmosphere and people
seem to be more trusting of us now than they were earlier and that
is definitely a good feeling." A majority
of those interviewed said newspaper reports were too technical and
therefore boring to follow and that the little time they had to
watch TV, they preferred to watch something relaxing rather than
catching up on news, which had 'no direct impact on them', as 17-year-old
Navida Nazeem, a student at the Australian College said. M. Ajith, a
25-year-old embassy worker whose two elder brothers, one younger
brother and three uncles are in the army said he didn't follow the
peace process because he knows it to be a farce. "The country
is now divided, all my family fought for is in vain, and the soldiers
are suffering in silence. Why should I be interested in a peace
that will never be?" was his angry reply as to our question
of why he doesn't follow the peace process. While not many
knew about the workings of the peace process or the problems encountered,
almost everyone did appreciate the fact that there are no more barricades
and checkpoints at every twist and turn along the road. As Ghazzali
Saduk, a 32-year-old Junior Executive at Sampath Bank said, "I
can go on the streets without worry. I can go anywhere I want." Is the lack
of interest due to a breakdown in communication or simply not caring
enough? Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has formed a committee
to educate MPs and VIPs on the peace process. Who then will educate the common man? Robbie
at the pinnacle Is it true
that you recorded some of the songs for your new album Escapology
while naked - and why? The truth is,
I took my pants down and everyone laughed. Then I thought: 'I quite
like this,' but everyone in the studio got a bit uneasy because
I refused to put my clothes back on. Why have
you started wearing a mask like Michael Jackson when you leave home?
The paparazzi
camp outside my house to get photos of me. So whenever I go out,
I wear the same jacket and hat and the mask from my Eternity video
because they can't sell the same picture twice. I'm not being Michael
Jackson - I haven't had my nose done. Is Escapology
your attempt to conquer the US? I've read that
this album's directed at an American audience and the reason I spent
a lot of time over there was to break the market. It's not true,
I've worked really hard since I was 16, first in Take That and now
in my solo career and I can't be doing loads more just to break
the US. Besides, I've got an amazing audience in Britain, Europe
and Asia, so I don't need to go there. You've landed
an £80 million record deal. What do you plan to do with all
that money? I don't know.
I've got loads of clothes, enjoy a good lifestyle and live in a
lovely house. I'm lucky to have these things because of what I do
and because my record company's paying for it. I've always had enough
money to do what I want, so even though I may be richer now, I don't
feel it. Do you have
any misgivings about your megabucks deal? Yeah. When
I was a kid, I wanted to be a pop star and I managed to achieve
that dream. Although it's great most of the time, I do feel that
I have to justify myself a lot because of what I earn. But I do
my bit to give something back and I'm going to do a lot more in
the future. I'm going to keep the money, though. Is your
new deal the start of bigger and better things? It's all downhill
from here. This is the pinnacle of my career, so fans should catch
me now on my forthcoming tour while I'm still hot. Otherwise, see
me in five years time doing the summer season at Butlins with Oasis.
Is the Robbie
Williams we know the real person? When I get
on stage, it's like I'm wearing an armour, but beforehand I feel
really sick because I'm just Rob. Once I start performing, it's
different - suddenly Robbie enters and I get taken over. I'm someone
else and there to entertain my fans. But I'm just acting, because
you can't feel that way every night. But when I do, fans feel it
too and it's great. It's been
reported that you've learnt to play the guitar? Yes, I taught
myself. I've written about seven songs. I've had a lot of fun finding
out how to make three chords last four albums - no, that's Noel
Gallagher. How much
input have you had writing songs for your album? No one seems to realise that I write my own songs. Because I'm Robbie Williams from Take That, no one credits me with anything. I guess it's understandable because I was in a boy band and wasn't the songwriter. Hence, when I create my own albums, people assume that the lion's share is done by someone else. But it's not. I write lyrics, melodies and, occasionally, the music. I read an awful lot about Guy Chamber penning my hits Let Me Entertain You and Angels and it angers me, because these are also my songs and I had a lot to do with them. Is it true
that you and Guy Chambers have fallen out because he no longer wanted
to write exclusively for you? Unfortunately,
my partnership with Guy has, for the foreseeable future, come to
an end for reasons I don't want to get into, because it would embarrass
him and me. But I never once asked for an exclusivity deal with
Guy. That's a misconception that arose because something I said
about us was embellished. What's the
truth about you and Ms Dynamite? The Press reported
that I tried to get a date with Ms Dynamite after the MTV awards
in Barcelona and she knocked me back. It's not true - although I
might have been rejected if I'd tried. She's an amazing artiste
and gorgeous as well - I'd love to record something with her. What sort
of woman do you go for and what qualities does she have to possess?
If a woman
came up to me today and said: 'I could guarantee you'd be happy
all day, every day, for the rest of your life', I'd give all this
up and settle down with her tomorrow. In the song
Feel you say you don't want to die, but you're not keen on living
either. Is that how you feel? At the time
I wrote the song I wasn't happy. But talking about now, I've never
felt so positive - I'm excited about what I create and how I perform.
I've started to like myself a bit. Another
track you wrote is called Nan's Song. Why did you write a tribute
to her? My nan was
an amazing woman and I wanted people to know about her. I miss her
so much, but I know she's here with me. |
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