This month marks the 30th anniversary of Black
July, I’m not 30 yet, and I wasn't born during that time, though like most
youth I grew up with 20+ years of war and destruction. The anti-tamil riots
during the month of July in 1983 should never be forgotten.
As kids I remember my parents telling us about how they saw
innocent tamils stopped from cars and taken out or how houses were set on fire.
My parents who went for their daily jobs in Colombo couldn't do anything but to
watch in despair as angry mobs ransacked shops and harassed innocent
people. These killing and violence made
a permanent scar in the Sri Lankan society, and any Sri Lankan would clearly
know the implications it had on the war and the divide it brought forth.
Any young adult of my age in their 20s or early 30s who grew
up in the 90s should clearly know the implications of racial extremism
and what destruction a communal riot would bring to this small country. Partly
for political mileage or otherwise state media used to shower the public with news
and articles about Black July every year for its anniversary. So any kid
growing up those days knew of the harm such a riot could bring to a country.
Ironically, it’s sad to see how few extremists seem to ignore
this lesson learned and act with no responsibility whatsoever. Particularly the
Muslim phobia that some elements try to create is pathetic. Public hate speech,
attacking places of worship or businesses are carried out occasionally by a
small minority who just want to instigate a clash or a riot. This could spark a
communal clash at any moment.
I just finished watching the amazing WWII documentary series “The Nazis – A Warning from History”, which takes an in-depth
look into how Nazi ideology flourished in Germany through propaganda
and manipulation and how an entire nation became obsessed with racial purity
and domination. Though Sri Lanka can be hardly compared to the Nazi Germany
its important to remember the ending notes narrated in its closing episode. It
echoes words from Karls Jaspers a prominent German philosopher about World War
II and the atrocities that were committed, which I think are pretty much relevant to Black July as well...
"That which has happened is a warning. To forget it is guilt. It must be continually remembered. It was possible for this to happen, and it remains possible for it to happen again at any minute. Only in knowledge can it be prevented."
