We should look at wars not to build hierarchies but to understand something important about humans. Where does the violence come from? How to prevent it? What to do when it is already there? How can we defend ourselves and others?
The war (1983–2009) emerged from ethnic conflict, colonial legacies, and systemic injustice.
“The war in Sri Lanka was not inevitable… It starts in 1983 and goes until 2009, and it’s a war between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam,” V.V. Ganeshananthan said.
V.V. Ganeshananthan considers that war experiences in both countries share emotional and material echoes. “There are just so many echoes… the emotional register of a place where people are trying to leave, but a convoy of civilians gets bombed.”
V.V. Ganeshananthan:
It's called biblioclasm: the burning of libraries, the destruction of knowledge in this way.
Destroying books and libraries (biblioclasm) is portrayed as an intentional form of violence — an attack on knowledge and community identity, often present in invasions.
“I don't know that I've ever heard of an invasion where such cultural violence did not occur. Because it's part and parcel of the kind of taking, the kind of annexation or conquering that is part of the goal of the invading force. So it's a way of attempting to break people's spirits.” – V.V. Ganeshananthan.
The speakers compared the burning of the Jaffna Public Library in 1981 to the destruction of Ukrainian libraries — acts meant to erase cultural memory and rewrite history.
“In the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we have lots of libraries that have been destroyed... We [Ukrainians] have a case when, during Soviet rule, the biggest library in Kyiv, in Ukraine's capital, was burned down on purpose, most probably by a provocateur, probably connected with the Soviet special services.” Volodymyr Yermolenko said.
“You can’t have real peace if it’s built on silence. Justice has to be part of peace, or it won’t last.” V.V. Ganeshananthan considers.
Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, a media about Ukraine run by Internews Ukraine, and based in Kyiv.
UkraineWorld is run by Internews Ukraine, one of Ukraine's largest media NGOs.
You can support our work at www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld. Your support is crucial, as our media increasingly relies on crowdfunding.
You can also help fund our volunteer trips to front-line areas, where we assist both soldiers and civilians — mainly by delivering vehicles for soldiers and books for civilians. Donations can be made via PayPal at ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.
This episode was produced in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute, Ukraine's major cultural and public diplomacy institution, and NGO Cultural Diplomacy Foundation.
