Book Reading by Janaka Malwatta – By Gothami Meepe
Source : Qld Sri Lankan Newsletter – Dæhæna – December 2022
A book reading of Janaka Malwatta’s award winning poetry book “Blackbirds don’t mate with Starlings”, was held at the Avid Reader Bookshop on the 4th of November. The catalyst for this book, which won the Thomas Shapcott Prize this year, had been the distressing murder of George
Floyd. His poetry brought into focus why so many of our youth felt compelled to join the Black Lives Matter movement.
The first poem he read, ‘Swastika’, set the tone. How this sacred symbol of the East is now demonised and used to show hate is shown up brilliantly in this poem. It deeply resonated with me, and the direct style used to confront the issue was truly refreshing.
The real-life circumstances that led him to understand racism and the effects of colonialism, were revealed in his conversation with his fellow author Shastra Deo who hosted the event. Born in Sri Lanka, migrated in his childhood to England and to Brisbane in adulthood; his identity is questioned in the brilliantly simple poem “I am/am I”.
Answering a question from the audience, Janaka mentioned a request for a book launch in Sri Lanka. In a country that is still suffering from the effects of colonisation to the extent that ‘Whitening Cream’ has become a must-use product and where different races and religions are trying to find one voice, I believe Janaka has a very relevant and important message to spread.
This is reflected in his poem Triptych; “if you have to choose between fitting in and being you,
you need to know the right thing is not the easy thing but it’s easier than caving in.”
Gothami Meepe
Gothami is a past president of the Sri Lanka Society of
Queensland and the current Cultural Coordinator for FSOQ
