Art and Peacebuilding: How Theatre Transforms Conflict in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The purpose of our chapter is to examine the methods used by Jana Karaliya in its efforts at contributing to peacebuilding in Sri Lanka. ... This is to say that theatre can (1) provide a forum through which individuals can come to terms with their personal experiences of conflict and become more attuned to understanding and appreciating the former enemies; (2) facilitate ways in which individuals and groups can come to terms with the deep emotional wounds inflicted by conflict; and (3) make the surrounding societal discourses more attuned to accommodating par- ties that were once in conflict, thus creating more inclusive and plural- ist historical narratives.