Economic Identity…What?! Noooo!!
Cultural Identity… Yes!
National Identity… Yes!
Economic Identity… What?! Noooo!!
Is there any connection
Between Culture and Economy
Or
Between Economy and Culture
What about Marxist talks of
Super structure and base structure
Oh, let's forget it
Don't you know?
All that nonsense collapsed
With the Soviet Union and its blocks
Oh, what brave thinking?
By the way,
Do you know?
Sri Lanka is going to lose another gift?
It's a gift from the Chinese government
Like that earlier one, the BMICH*.
Authorities rejected it
Not because of the suspicious gift of Greece
But because of "The architectural design
Of the National Performance Arts Centre
doesn't suit the traditional styles"
"Chinese model cannot be accepted
For a national building"
And the Authorities added
"Even our architects did not accept it"
Oh, what great arguments!
Long live Cultural Identity
Long live National Identity
Oh, what about Economic Identity?
Sri Lanka hasn't an Economic tradition?
The economic models of the World Bank
Suits our Socio-cultural traditions?
Architects of the country
Running for the World Bank models
Because of its appropriateness
to the socio-cultural traditions of the country?
Cultural Identity… Yes!
National Identity… Yes!
Economic Identity What?! Noooo!!
S.Jeyasankar
(28.05.2005)
*BMICH: Bandaranyake Memorial International Conference
Hall.
**News Resourse: Daily Mirror, Monday, April, 11, 2005.
