Short Play Drama Festival 2017

Cecil Fonseka’s “International ‘Jak’ Tree”

[This is not a review of the performance but an analysis of the script – Sunil de Silva]

One of the cameo dramas in the Sinhala Short Drama Festival of 2017 at the Pacific Hills Christian School, Dural on 14 October ’17, Cecil Fonseka’s “Anthar Jaatika Kos Gaha [ International Jak Tree] presented an interesting scenario Cecil had cast the characters as representing the different countries.

Siryawathie’ [Sri Lanka] [Sriyakanti Ranasinghe]

Cecil presented the complex international economic conundrum of the U$ replacing the Gold Standard backed Sterling Pound as the Global Currency, in a light hearted comedy that cleverly veiled the iron fist in the velvet glove. Cecil was drawing on the children’s game of using “Kos Kola” [ Jak leaves] as ‘play money’ to alert the audience that printed paper currency has no intrinsic value, except acceptance by those transacting business with such currency that each currency note has the value printed on its face

Cecil focuses on how the USA used the fact that in the Second World War they saved the Allies from defeat at the hands of the German Forces to force the lesser privileged countries to accept the U$ as the currency for all their international trade.

The drama caters to the visual entertainment but carries a serious message in the dialogue.

The drama opens with ‘Siriyawathie’ being in a confused state as a result of a coconut falling on her head. Seeing Siriyawathie in her bemused state, Chin makes an approach to resume a previous sensual relationship but is thwarted by the amnesia caused by the coconut falling on her head.

The intended allegory is for the audience to conclude.

At this stage Bharathi arrives and comments on Siriyawathie’s apparent state of confusion. Bharathie rules out Chin’s suggestion of ‘jump starting’ the lost memory by dropping another coconut on Siryawathie’s head. He suggests reminding Siriyawathie of the matters she had forgotten

Chin Chun Chan’ [China]

[Prasana Samapth Jayaweera

Bharathi’ [India] Bharathi’ [India] [Sunil de Silva]

Chin points out her house and reminds her that she is a widow with three children. Bharati shows the tear drop shape isle which her home. Chin shows her the extensive land mass, which is China and explains that he has a large family and he has instructed them on the ‘one child’ policy, but that his family is engaged in prolific manufacture of exportable goods.

Bharathie introduces himself as Siriyawathie’s closest neighbour with a large family and points to a large extent of land occupied by Engalaanti, as a wealthy woman.

Siriyawathie’s recognition of Engalaanthi prompts Chin to remark that her memory appears to be recovering from the haze reminds her that Engalaanthi’e father had been in occupation of Siriyawathie’s land, and proceeds to narrate how moustached Hitilara had attempted to capture Siriyawathie’s land when Bharati chips in that they were fighting a losing battle till Uncle Sam intervened to gather them together and that defeated Hitilara. Bharathie then explains that they were all grateful to Uncle Sam and started to accept him as their leader

The next scene ‘flashes back’ a technique adopted by Cecil to demonstrate how the USA used the leadership role earned by their significant contribution to the Allied victory to combine with England and ensure economic dominance’ The modality of the operation was to first wean away from Gold Standard and the 1944 Bretton Woods Agreement, to adroitly have the International Exchange Rates pegged to the U$ and made the U$ a global currency.

Uncle Sam’ [The USA ] – [Prematilaka Ranasinghe] and ENG Laanti’ [England] [Mihiri Fernando]

Uncle Sam sums up the post World War economic scenario where China manufactured goods in excessive quantities and obtained the natural rubber required for their industry by bartering their excess rice for rubber from Sri Lanka, Uncle Sam prohibits barter and decrees that U$ be the currency for all international trade.

Cecil draws attention to the growing trend for the USA to move away from a $ backed with a gold standard to mere printed currency –in other words of no more intrinsic value than a “Kos Kolaya” [a Jak leaf] falling from a tree with no effort required on their part, to acquire goods and services created by the less privileged countries with their hard labour and sacrifice.

The impact of this deal is worsened when England seduced by U$ into the US embrace, then uses the U$ provided by the USA to lend money to Sri Lanka and set off Sri Lankan garments, tea rubber and coconut in lieu of interest and not in reduction of the loan.

The scene moves to Sri Lanka seeking assistance for losses caused by the tsunami, dengue, floods and landslides. China and India come to Sri Lanka’s aid and we find a deflection to the ‘parippu’ air drop by India in 1987. The U$ makes a trivial contribution but demands that their assistance be given indelible acknowledgement.
Like in all evil designed strategies, Uncle Sam realises that the US is purchasing enormous quantity of Chinese goods has placed a dangerous pile of U$ under the control of China. U$ sufficient to take over the US economy and engineers a plot with England to convince China that Sri Lanka has designs on acquiring China and conversely that China has designs on Sri Lanka. The US provides China with weapons and England supplies guns to Sri Lanka for the purpose of fighting with each other.

India intervenes to point out the absurdity of China accepting that Sri Lanka with its tiny population would pose a threat to the territorial integrity of China.

Cecil winds up with a comical twist, where Sri Lanka proposes that Sri Lanka, China and India transact business using each other’s currency and rejecting the U$.

This provides the punch line of Chin and Bharati each independently concluding that another coconut has fallen on Siriyawathie’s head.

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