A life we rarely see
A sweeping panorama of misty highland beauty greets the eye, bringing cool serenity to the heat and grit of Colombo. The result of combined efforts of more than 3 dozen youth from the plantation sector of Sri Lanka- and this time they have not been plucking tea leaves, but diverted their energies to a different art- the impactful skill of photojournalism. Their tireless civil society partners and artistic/creative advisors have pitched in to bring you an experience hitherto unparalleled. The Teh Kahata exhibition on photography brings you previously untold stories from the so called tea plantation sectors of Sri Lanka, bringing glimpses into a life we rarely experience beyond the uplifting sparkle of a cup of the world renowned Ceylon tea.
Photo by WT Dhanushka
Striking visuals
The games that old folk like to say have become a long lost art still live here. A small child sits on a coconut frond while older children pull it along. One picture down some children use a toy blackboard and bottlecaps from liquor bottles to play a game and left and right of them there are all manner of items being used - empty tins, plastic bottles and old plastic bags. It's not because these children's parents are overly nostalgic or minimalist - this is all they can give their children to play with.
Teh Kahata Background
The Teh Kahata photojournalism project was a brainchild of the Centre for Policy Alternative and its Badulla collaborative partner Uva Shakhti Foundation, begun in 2018. Here the objective was not merely another project with predictable development results, but the goal was to make a real difference in the lives of the young estate sector participants by giving them a comprehensive training not only in the technical aspects of photography (and photo editing) but also in social aspects of visual reportage through photography. Forty youth were selected based on their genuine enthusiasm for the field of communication studies and photography and underwent extensive training by experts selected especially for their sensitivity and professionalism. A number of practical field trips were held in the estates, working with the approval of plantation sector administration and other stakeholders in the areas. The results were thousands of striking visuals bringing their world before the wider audience of Sri Lankans and through virtual exhibitions, before the world itself. This phase of the project saw its striking exhibitions held in Kandy, Jaffna and Batticaloa apart from Colombo.
"Rare pictures, made me want to cry," said one of the visitors to the exhibition, and another said "The Technology used for the photographs is great. Handling of colours including artistry has been used perfectly and I'm happy the photographers are young people. It's very good to see photography used to bring out their internal environmental issues…"
Photo by C Sagidaran
Tea Industry reels under double whammy
The programme by CPA, Uva Shakthi Foundation and GIZ was begun in 2018, and the latest phase of the photojournalism project beyond 2020, had to battle the challenges of a crippling global pandemic and internal repercussions of bungled agricultural reforms, along with the plantation sector in which it is set. While Sri Lanka has reeled under skyrocketing inflation with the tea industry as a whole being buffeted by banning, shortages and then escalating prices in chemical fertiliser, problems in power supply, pollution, climate change, transport price hikes, international competition; the wages of the plantation sector workers remain static, with no hope of revision in sight.
So for the marginalised workers of the line rooms trapped between chaotic policies and entrenched injustice, there seems no end in sight to their suffering among the beauty of the estates.
