Voices of Peace book launch to commence with discussions on peace and reconciliation

Sarah Kabir (left), Author, Voices of Peace, and Sophia Mahendran (far right), Interpreter interviewing a combatant from Sri Lanka’s ethnic war.

Weaving together the personal experiences and stories of combatants actively engaged on either side of Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict, Sri Lankan researcher and author, Sarah Kabir will launch ‘Voices of Peace’ on Wednesday, 26 September 2018 at 5.30pm at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute. 

Aimed at supporting lasting peace and advancing the difficult work of national reconciliation in a post-war Sri Lanka, Voices of Peace shares the stories of 10 former LTTE cadres and 10 Sri Lankan Military personnel who were each actively engaged in the conflict providing a cathartic platform for these unheard voices to share their stories and provide readers with an objective and compassionate window into the protracted conflict. 

In sharing these stories, the author hopes to encourage empathy, meaningful public discussion and the continuation of dialogue between individuals, communities, and the nation as a whole, in order to positively influence national policy on peace and reconciliation. 

Sarah Kabir (centre) discusses stories about the war with a combatant who was actively involved in the conflict.

Eminent guest speakers Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Aaranya Rajasingam and Saliya Pieris PC,will participate in a discussion focused on acknowledging the experience and plight of these individuals as well as on broader themes of peace and national reconciliation in a post-conflict Sri Lanka. The discussion will be moderated by Executive Director at National Peace Council of Sri Lanka, Dr. Jehan Perera.

Sarah Kabir is a researcher and humanitarianworker. She has a BSc in Social Policy from theUniversity of Bristol and an MSc in InternationalDevelopment and Humanitarian Emergencies fromthe London School of Economics. After her Masters,she worked on peacebuilding and development work.

She has participated in research projects concernedwith Philanthropy and Development, Diaspora andRemittances, and Pesticides and Global Healthalongside researchers from the Universities of Sussexand Durham. In addition, she has worked withvarious international and local organisations withinthe civil society sector. Her work appears in variousacademic publications and research reports.
For more information on how to register to attend the Voices of Peace launch, please contact+94772444462.