Holding on to the fairies

"Many people are concerned by what's to become of the future of our country… little do they know that the future of our country is currently going at 10-15 thousand rupees a night!"

Although the prevalence of child prostitution in Sri Lanka is quite a 'public secret' these days, hardly anything is being done about it, on either a social or policy level. "Having learnt a lot about the subject while working on a pitch for a social responsibility campaign on child sex tourism in 2005, I thought I just had to do something and since the one thing I could do was write, that's just what I thought I'd do," says poet, actor, singer and creative writer – Brandon Ingram. And thus, he started work on the book in early 2006.

His debut novel, The Fairy Dance revolves around the lives of two kids, residing along the Southern coast of the country. As the story starts to unravel, Brandon incorporates more characters into the story. "No one character is all-good or all-bad. People like to categorise/label people and situations into black or white, but I think the shades of grey that everyone overlooks is what's most important and very, very real," he said passionately. "I guess you could call it a work of 'true fiction', as everything that happens in the book is fact, although the characters are fictional," says Brandon. Although this is his first book proper, the 22-year-old has got quite a collection of poetry to his name as well. With Sri Lanka listed as one of the top five countries where child sex tourism is rampant and with statistics such as, 100,000 kids sold or being born into child prostitution annually and over 40,000 children currently working as prostitutes – some as young as five, it comes as no surprise why this issue triggered me to write a book, explained Brandon.

The saddest thing about this issue is that most of these children are sold by their own families, most often their own parents. Although poverty is the most common excuse, it eventually becomes a sort of comfort zone for the parents, as they not only receive remuneration via monetory means, but sometimes via assistance in building a house or buying a vehicle etc., he added. "It's so shocking, sad and depressing all at the same time, that you just shouldn't be able to ignore it," said Brandon emphatically. Unfortunately though, in the areas where there is extensive child prostitution taking place, most people tend to ignore the matter or sweep it under the carpet, as they don't want to get involved. Admitting to the existence of the problem, means that they would have to commit to finding some kind of resolution, therefore nobody in the area speaks out against it, he added. Worse yet is the fact that these kids are not only exploited and abused by foreigners, but by locals from all over the country too, he said.

"When conducting my research, the material and documentation I got for the initial pitch was quite useful, as were the insights I got from experts/people well versed on the subject. In addition, I researched on the net, especially the sites which feature some of the horrific stories of the few kids who've managed to escape their dreadful fate," elaborated Brandon. Although he had spoken to a few people along the coast about the issue as well, they seemed to be quite jaded on the topic and most were quite reluctant to even comment, he added. Also, as most of these kids don't know of a better life outside of the ones they've lived, they too grow up and get their children involved in the same trade, and thus the vicious cycle continues, he said.
"As for the title of the book, I specifically chose a light sounding one, taking in to consideration the grave nature of the contents. There is also a direct link between the title and storyline, which runs throughout the book, but you'll have to read it to find out what it is," he said with a smile. "The writing style too is quite raw and in-your-face. There's nothing "sugar-coated" about the book. It's the bare naked truth and so I don't think there's any other way to say it like it is," he said quite matter-of-factly.

There are specific coded websites that paedophiles can access, which gives out the various profiles of the children "available", from which they can select the child, for whom they come down and pay for; almost as though purchasing a product online, he says with disgust. "This is the despicable reality of the situation."

Already started work on his second book, we can look forward to his books to come on the likes of abortion and marital rape. "Everyone needs a good controversy on and off, to jog their conscience a bit," he said with a wry smile.

"My greatest pillar of strength and support – my mum loved my book, but then I guess she's biased," he says laughing. "She says that it's good that someone's speaking out about it. Too many people are worried about the consequences and as a result keep mum about most things. I refuse to do that anymore," he said.

In the excerpt below I've drawn a parallel between the coast as we know it, for instance the "Hikka party scene," and the reality of the coast – unveiled. The book talks of both sides of the coin as it were," he added.

"The South Coast – where the beaches are beautiful, the people are warm and the music is to die for. The free spirited life charms even the dreariest of guests. The gentle waves that kiss the soft sands are welcoming. The hospitality is genuine and the hints of culture secreted amongst the carefree attitude of people makes you want to spend the rest of your life lost in an artistic piece of comfort.

“The South Coast – where the mournful cries of children who are sacrificed like lambs to slaughter fall on the deaf ears of their parents. The heart-wrenching sniffling is responded to by a severe blow across the face. The thorns that destroy the soul are ignored and a new breed of amoral arrogance rules the lives of those who are powerless."

The Fairy Dance will be launched on September 21, at 7 p.m. at the Barefoot Gallery (invitees only). Published by the Perera-Hussein Publishing House, the book will be available at all leading bookstores islandwide.