This week’s post will deviate a bit from my traditional blog entries (but still related to state failure in Sri Lanka of course). When scrolling through my Itunes playlist this week, I noticed an artist that caught my attention. M.I.A. is a female rapper who I have listened to since I was in high school and who has grown in popularity since that time. A provocative performer, M.I.A. has been known to say and do outrageous things that often catch the attention of the media, such as giving the middle finger to cameras during a live NFL half-time show.
M.I.A. is also a Tamil from Sri Lanka. I remember reading an interview with her in a magazine years ago talking about the Sri Lankan war; however, at that time I knew little about conflict so it was hard for me to fully grasp the situation. Historically, M.I.A. has attempted to use her celebrity as a platform from which to raise awareness about the civil war and particularly the persecution of Tamils by the Sinhalese majority and the government. Furthermore much of her music has a militaristic tone which she claims to be influence from her experience with the Sri Lankan Civil War. The following news clip from Al Jazeera is particularly interesting in terms of the response she has received because of her outspoken nature:
M.I.A has been widely criticized for some of her views and her vocal nature in terms of this conflict; however, it is clear that she is one of the few Tamil civilians who has had the opportunity to communicate to the rest of the world the experiences of Tamils and Sri Lankan civilians. Moreover, in the Al Jazeera clip, she mentions that certain groups have accused her of being sympathetic to the Tamil Tigers. This underscores a trend I have noticed in my research. Often, those who fight for the rights of Tamils or Tamil civilians are seen as being linked to the LTTE terrorist organization when in reality, only a small percentage of Tamils are currently connected to this group.
I commend what M.I.A has attempted to do for her people. Evidently, the Sri Lankan war and ethnic conflict is not understood by many countries and this should not be the case. Perhaps it is this lack of knowledge and interest in Sri Lanka has contributed to the long lasting effects of state failure.
The Tear Drop of India: State Failure in SRi Lanka 