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Music is for All

17/7/2017

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From July 3 to 7 folk artists representing the Ceylon Kaffir from; Sirambiadi (Puttalam), the Islamic Social Heritage Cultural Association - Sufi tradition from Akkaraipathu (Ampara), the Saranga Rookada Group from Ambalangoda (Galle), and the Portuguese Burgher Union from Batticaloa (Batticaloa), travelled 400 km from the West of Sri Lanka to the East, stopping in 5 schools in 3 districts, delighting children. They travelled together on a bus spending nights in Colombo, Anuradhapura and Batticaloa developing a close working relationship as a group and closer friendships as individuals.  
 
The School Concert Series was designed to foster a greater understanding amongst young children about Sri Lanka’s diverse cultural heritage in musical art forms, and develop closer relationships between folk artists from around Sri Lanka. The children listened to songs in: Sri Lankan-Portuguese Creole, in the haunting manjas sung by the Ceylon Kaffirs; Portuguese - “Baila” sung by Portuguese Burghers; dialects of Tamil in the devotional songs of the Sufis; and Sinhalese as the puppets entertained the children with the joker dance.  Music cut through the language divide, with the common language of the musical beat and enjoyment going viral. Keeping true to the theme, the school concerts provided music for all.     

The folk artists had over the course of 5 months rehearsed together and, within their own group to craft a concert that linked their histories and cultures together, seamlessly moving from one tradition to the next as children watched enthralled.  

At each school a 45 minute concert was presented. The audience comprised of age groups from 10 – 16. The number in the audience varied according to the size of the hall. One concert was held outdoors, with the trees giving shade to the performers and audience. “We want more” the children yelled, when told it was time to say good-bye.

At one school a student came on stage of her own accord, the teachers unable to hold her back. Addressing everyone she said with excitement “this was so nice. We liked everyone. We especially liked the Kaffir Manja, but we liked the other groups as well, but we would like to see the Kaffir manja perform again. Please bring us more exposure to different cultures from Sri Lanka as well as the rest of the World to our School again.” Having completed the concert the members of the Kaffir Manja group had changed out of costume, but when told of the request they were quick to say “give us 5 minutes we will get dressed and come out”. While they got ready, the Ambalangoda Rookada group showed a member of the audience how to skilfully manipulate the thread puppets (or rookada) to make him dance.   

In another school, a student said “we are so grateful for this opportunity to see these groups come to our school and perform that we would never have seen otherwise”. It wasn’t all entertainment. The students also asked incisive questions about the instruments used. The Kaffir Manja used household wares such as spoons and coconut shells to provide them with music. “Our ancestors were brought to this country as soldiers, and labourers, so they couldn't bring any instruments with them”, said a group member. “They used things you found around the house to make music. We are continuing this tradition. We want everyone to know there is music everywhere you look for it”.   

A teacher found that she had been pronouncing the words of the Portuguese songs wrong while teaching it to her students and promptly instructed the students to note the change. The Sufi group was thrilled that the students understood what they were singing and even when they weren’t understood the children erupted in cheers to the beat.   

For many of the artists the last concert in Colombo was their favourite; their 5th concert, and the last before they boarded the bus to travel 200 km to their next destination. “We decided that we would give it our all”, the artists said. At the end of the concert, the dancers collapsed laughing and exhausted back stage. There was a lot of energy to be drawn from the singing, swaying, dancing and the clapping audience.
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Having completed the 400 km journey and performances in 5 schools, the artists took their leave from each other, happy to have had such an experience with the school children and each other.  
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“When is the next program?” – This was the question the artists and the school children had at the end of the series of concerts.   

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Promoting Social Cohesion through Music – A Pilot research study in the Eastern Province

16/7/2017

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Sevalanka Foundation together with the Department of Education, Eastern Province and UNICEF is implementing a pilot research study on social cohesion. This project intends to use music as a tool as well as an alternative language which helps communicate and brings children from different communities together in harmony.
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Children as “Change Agents for the Future” can use this opportunity to promote exposure and respect to diverse cultures, while sharing their experiences and feelings to build their knowledge in musical expressions. The project “Promoting Social Cohesion through Music” is implemented as a pilot project in the Eastern province and this bottom up approach in building social cohesion hopes to serve as a model in bringing sustainable peace in the years to come.

Two groups, each comprising of 18 children from different communities have been formed in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara districts, to champion this pilot.  While children from group A will follow trainings using instruments only (recorders using Western Music), group B would follow vocal, plus instruments recommended in Oriental and Carnatic music curriculums.  The trainings will be conducted in three phases for a period of 12 months.
 
The above grouping has enabled to measure the changes in terms of the increased interactions between children in a more systematic way.  Both groups are following one or two common songs, which would allow the children to perform together at the symposium. The common events scheduled every quarter are a platform to showcase the talents and to exhibit any improvements in terms of positive changes among children.   Concerned education stakeholders both from national and provincial levels will be invited to these common events.  After the initiation, the first three months mainly focused on setting the ground such as selection of schools, students and trainers, establishing networks with music practitioners and music institutions, etc. The schools have been selected in consultation with the PDE’s office through a list of context specific criteria that would be developed by the external evaluation group. Similarly the last three months of the project period would include the end-line study, finalization of documents, handing over of instruments to schools and wrapping up while ensuring sustainability. Finally based on evaluation results, the model will be presented to the National Institute of Education and other relevant institutions.


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  • About
  • Programs
    • Environmental Sustainability >
      • Sustainable Agriculture
      • Environmental Conservation
    • Cultural Exchange
    • Aquaculture
    • Community Enterprises
  • Visit
    • Islander Centre - Anuradhapura
    • Seva Village Rest -Vavuniya
    • Home Stays - Sinharaja
    • Beach Cabanas - Delft Island
  • Get Involved
  • Recent Project Updates
    • Dry rations and food packet distribution during the recent economic crisis
    • Covid 19 Support Program
    • Mangroves restoration in Batticaloa
    • Supporting Child Education Through Youth - Nuwera Eliya
    • Skills to improve Community Tourism - Batticaloa and Ampara
  • Publications and Articles on Past Projects
  • Contact Us