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Self-conscious diaspora
Distant Warriors by Channa Wickremesekera. Reviewed by Ambika Satkunanathan
In a Time magazine special issue titled ‘The Asian Journey Home: Returning to Our Roots’, Pico Iyer says that ‘as Asians set down new roots around the world, home is no longer a fixed destination. It is as much a favourite dish, a memory or an idea, as it is an old house’.

Nationalism then is such an idea or concept, which constitutes ‘home’ to hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans who fled the country due to the conflict. Distant Warriors by Channa Wickremesekera attempts to further explore what the idea of nationalism means to Tamils and Sinhalese in Australia, how inter-community and even inter-generational relationships are affected by reproduction of homeland politics in the host country Australia. After his first book on sexual identity and sexuality, Channa has once again chosen to deal with an issue that is rarely discussed in Sri Lankan fiction.

To my knowledge this is the first book of fiction on the Sri Lankan diaspora and comes at an important point in time. Like other diasporas, the Sri Lankan diaspora too has played a crucial role in the conflict in numerous ways, ranging from economic support to actively mobilising public opinion and support for different political persuasions. During this phase in our history when attempts are being made to move from conflict to peace, the impact of diaspora activities can be both positive and negative.

The book follows two families, the Amarasuriyas and the Nagalingams and is centred around an event – the arrival in Australia of a priest, Father Anton Balasubramaniam, from Jaffna. The purpose of his visit is to meet the Tamil community in Melbourne and appear as star speaker at a fund-raiser for the Tamil cause. This event is used as a catalyst to study not only the way in which homeland politics are played out in the host country but also the inter-generational difference in experience of the ‘nation’ and ‘nationalism’.

We meet Rajan the son of the Nagalingams who does not understand the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, and especially his parents’ passionate support of the LTTE. He is firm about his non-participation in the discourse on nationalism and makes an appearance at community events only under duress. Priyantha, Bertie Amarasuriya’s nephew is also puzzled about the enthusiasm of certain sections of the Sinhala community to organise a protest march against the Tamil fund- raiser; but being younger than Rajan and hence less confident and sure of himself he buckles under pressure and supports the Sinhala cause when his courage and commitment to the Sinhala community are questioned.

Bertie is the most sympathetic character in the book. A man who is kind and mild-mannered but who is invariably exploited and used by others due to his lack of courage and ability to stand up for himself. His only wish is to have a peaceful existence. Priyantha, Bertie’s nephew characterises both the angst and confusion felt by second generation children of migrants; young persons who as members of a community might be co-opted to the nationalist cause due to their longing to belong and be accepted. In Priyantha’s case his tragic end seems almost inevitable and pre-determined – much like the end of confrontational identity politics.

I would now like to mention a few words about the portrayal of women in the book. The book is without doubt the domain of men. Unlike in Channa’s first book here the women are peripheral characters, most often in the background-making appearances only in sections, which deal with meals, cooking and food or when men are being cautioned or scolded not to engage in the protest march. I wonder whether this is an attempt by the author to illustrate the position of women within the nationalist discourse; to show us that historically nationalist movements have always relegated women to the private sphere which has led to the marginalisation of women and essentialisation of their identities.

This book leads us to some questions. Is nationalism a coping mechanism for migrants? Do they embrace the cause because of difficulty in integrating into the host community? Is nationalism a means of building a community? Does nationalism provide a means of absolving one’s guilt regarding those left behind? Are diasporas living vicariously through their support of homeland politics or in the case of the Sri Lankan diaspora in the book, reproducing conflict in their lives in a new country?

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