Diaspora
Flow
Chamindika Wanduragala & Pradeepa Jeevamanoharan
Diaspora Flow is a Minnesota-based Sri Lankan American nonprofit
arts organization connecting communities of color through artistic
expression. We are also dedicated to supporting young artists
of color in pursuing their vision as artists and activists. Our
goal is to use the arts as a means for social change and to build
solidarity among people of color through various mediums such
as spoken word, visual and performance art, theater, and music.
Diaspora Flow came out of conversations between two artists/activist
friends, Pradeepa Jeevamanoharan and Chamindika Wanduragala, about
the lack of representation of the Sri Lankan American community.
This brought us to the realization that much work needs to be
done in building a foundation for powerful representation and
action. As we conceptualized various projects for the under represented
Sri Lankan diaspora, we felt the need to connect with other communities
of color to work in solidarity on issues that effect us all. We
both felt the urgency of needing to do something immediately.
Our first project, Fluid Movements, came about as a way to do
community building in a powerful, yet celebratory way. Between
the founding of Diaspora Flow in February, 2001, and our first
show in April, we applied for nonprofit status, spoke with other
organizations and people to get them interested in the project,
and struggled to find funding. We brought together over 20 artists
of color for an evening of spoken word, music, and dance. The
performers included emerging and established artists/activists
of color, with diversity in terms of age, race, sexuality, and
class. Bringing together local and national artists allowed them
to network and foster future collaboration on performances and
social change work. Our goal was to create a multi-media event
that transgressed boundaries and perceptions within communities
of color. Local grassroots activist organizations made public
service announcements between performances, encouraging the audience
to participate in various actions going on in the community.
We at Diaspora Flow recognize that constructs of race and gender
are fluid. The concept for the Fluid Movements project envisions
an evolving dialogue between artistic voices to expand ways of
thinking and percieving experiences as well as moving people towards
action on the very issues facing their communities.
Our first event within the R'Lankanz project also got off the
ground this year. R'Lankanz is a program designed to bring visibility
and voice to the marginalized Sri Lankan American community. This
program's projects will initiate dialogue about the Sri Lankan
diaspora by conducting workshops, forums, lectures, films, exhibits,
and performances.
R'Lankanz, the first ever multi-media arts event exploring the
Sri Lankan American experience, took place in August, 2001, in
New York City. The civil war in Sri Lanka has divided its people
along ethnic lines, with the same divisions being manifested here
in the U.S., continuing down to the second generation. This was
a much needed collaboration between Tamil and Sinhala Sri Lankan
artists committed to building solidarity along political and aesthetic
lines. This groundbreaking initiative featured the artwork of
Chamindika Wanduragala, Pradeepa Jeevamanoharan's choreography
combining classical South Asian dance styles with contemporary
movement, and the performance poetry of Marian Yalini Thambynayagam
and D'Lo, whose lyrical flow connected arts and activism.
Our third major program now underway in Minnesota is called Art
in Resistance. This is a series of arts/social change workshops
for high school aged youth interested in pursuing their own vision
of arts and activism. The focus is to compare struggles faced
by communities of color and how the arts can be used as a form
of resistance to social injustices. All the work done by youth
count as credit to fulfill graduation requirements. The workshops
will also include guest artists and fieldtrips to attend arts
events. This project continues throughout the school year every
year, and will be expanded. Diaspora Flow believes in long-term
sustained development of projects to truly impact the youth. The
first visiting artists at the learning circle were here through
one of our shows at Penumbra.
Another important project for us has been curating part of the
Late Night Performance Series managed by Laurie Carlos at one
of the few African American theaters left in the nation: Penumbra
Theatre Company. The racism within the mainstream South Asian
community against African Americans gives a partnership like this
a heightened significance.
Through our programming and partnerships, we hope to show the
strength in connecting with all people of color in the struggle
to create social change.
_____________________________________________________________
To contact Diaspora Flow: diasporaflow@yahoo.com,
www.diasporaflow.org
Chamindika Wanduragala & Pradeepa Jeevamanoharan
from Minnesota, USA, are pioneering the above Sri Lankan American
arts initiatives. A version of this article appeared in the Fall/Winter
2001, Number 14 of SAMAR.
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