...So we begin a new decade

Que sera, sera

By Rikaza Hassan

It is customary for the media to flashback at the end of each year - top news stories, top 20 earners, top 100 most powerful... This time round having said goodbye to an entire decade, the lists were numerous, everything from breakthroughs of the decade to the sex tapes. But what about the next decade? From algae fuelled jetliners to identity theft that involves DNA rather than credit card information, what do you foresee? Recession, depression, or boom; extra smart phone or no phone at all; peace or war? LAKBIMAnEWS asked around for predictions for the next ten years.

Always a blast to talk to, prolific author Carl Muller was full of stories and inimitable insights, and questions when presented with our query. He asked “What is the so called patriotism if people are not happy to live here, that they’d risk nuclear-war to live in the West rather than here? If there are no people, there’s no country. When people find there’s no money to buy their food everyday, what’s the point in putting up bridges all over that armies can march over? This is a fact that no one seems to look into properly. Why make a ceremony out of the smallest of things; why must there be a minister with Kandyan dancers in attention to give away school books when surely the principal can do it? Next time it will be opening rate kakussiya also...”
But as for what he foresees for our futures, he was only slightly hesitant, remarking that people can’t make up their minds until the forthcoming elections (both presidential and parliamentary) are concluded. The frightening fact, he believes is that the army has more powers now than when it was an army. “The army is talking on behalf of the president and the president believes that the army is with him. But if the president goes home, then there is a chance of the army taking over the country.”
Many stories about ground realities in Kandy mostly and the state of the book publishing industry later, I ask again, but what do you think will happen? What do you see? And finally I get: “Things are going to be the same until someone comes to his senses and the people get onto the street like what happened in the Philippines.” But will it ... will people get on the streets, or won’t they? [Pause] “I think they will continue to put up with it, there’ll be no taking to the streets.” He replied before adding “People will begin to rely on their families abroad [for financial assistance].”
But while I managed to pin down Muller at long last, it was a different ball game altogether with Feroze Kamardeen. “I can only comment on English theatre, but more and more people are doing plays. They are more involved and there is more awareness. As of late, they’ve moved away to plays with social and political themes. They are concerned with making a point and not just entertainment. English theatre has a good future ahead.”

Goodness of people

But that is as far as I got to a straight answer from the artistic director of Stagelight & Magic who was full of hope and conceded that he just may be an optimist. Even as I gave chase, he simply pirouetted away and as I pushed, jigged away farther. Kamardeen was a man almost impossible to pin down to a ‘I see/predict/expect’ leaving us only with ‘I hope.’
“As a nation, collectively, we need to regain a sense of our core values, put aside our differences, false political promises, and genuinely bring about change. I am hoping against hope that we will grow up collectively as a nation that makes mature decisions based on reason and not emotion,” he said, citing India as an exemplar.
“Our mindset ... we from Colombo ... is completely different to the rest of country’s. And ultimately the outcomes are not decided by Colombo or the cities but in the village. So everything depends on how they decide,” he continued.
As an individual he hoped that we will begin to value the sanctity of human life, now that the war is over. “I’m an inherent believer in the goodness of people; we’re a good bunch of people. So we must make sure that we uphold human rights, not because the world wants us to, not because they’re holding a gun to our heads or because the west is cutting off trade concessions, but because as Sri Lankans we’re a decent and noble people and we want to.”
On the other hand, Dee, an undergraduate saw more division and metaphorical bridges (despite all our flyovers) being burnt to create separation rather than unity.
“I think the divide between people, overall, will increase despite significant gains in bridging gaps in certain areas. And not just between the rich and the poor; I see much, much shorter hemlines and lots more cleavage and exposed midriffs simultaneously with folks completely covered up and unrecognisable in form, from head to toe. The way I see it, while one part of Sri Lanka will be more open about sex and have people openly living together, another part will bury themselves further and further in puritanical values. And I don’t just see this discord as between the cities and the villages but I see it within (mostly) the urban areas as well. Moderation will ebb away as people find solace in extremes. This will be true of all issues, homosexuality, transgenderism, materialism, violence and crime, even saving the environment. I also think that in the words of Russell Peters, the world will become more beige as races interact much more and people get faker via cosmetic surgery and other serious procedures,” she predicted.
“I am no prophet,” began Suresh de Silva, vocalist, Stigmata, “But one thing is certain based on common sense. Globalisation, the liberated economy, the rise and accentuation of IT, the constantly and rapidly changing needs of people, the depletion of natural resources which will inevitably result in soaring costs will leave us with the option of adapting to change or watching everything crash and burn -- with more confusion and chaos ensuing, political strife brewing, religious and civil wars exacerbating, and more power struggles and increasing economic recession.”

Put differences aside

He also called to account “racism, caste system and prejudice” which he believes there is a fair deal of in SL, but “no one really ever acknowledges.” “People will have to fundamentally put their differences aside, ” he says.
But does he see this happening, in the next decade? After a lot of hemming and hawing and further beating round the bush he finally conceded. “The way it’s going, no. but I’m hopeful enough for about 40%. And I’m hopeful that this 40% can be pushed.”
Speaking as an artiste, however he was more direct. “In the last decade I’ve seen many trends come and go, but the one thing that has always been constant is the fact that music is the true universal language. It breaks barriers and shatters boundaries.
Good music, that is music that is not contrived, prefabricated and manufactured for the masses as their shallow opiate... music that is chiselled with passion, adoration, energy, feel and honesty will always be timeless. That is why the world needs its rock n’ roll and metal because it is the voice of the unadulterated human soul.”
He concludes “so I can see the industry attempting to cash in on new trends in the next decade as well - quantity over quality, image and illusion over talent and skill... and that won’t change.”
And after all the doom and hope and change -- “yes we can or no we won’t’’, self monikered Gadget Girl offered a more refreshing perspective at a different level.
“I predict a truly smart and multitasking phone type gadget. It will be your communicator - be it phone calls, text message, email, tweet, facebook update - reasonably sophisticated camera (including video) and computer, e-reader, wallet, identification and every new gadget or service that has become a necessary component in life then,” she forecasts in what is music to my ears. “As for the internet, I think we will see problems arise as more and more people log on and there’s not enough bandwidth to sustain. A lot of people will be forced back into dial up speeds. It will mostly affect the West as Asia will be better prepared. But towards the end of the next decade the problem will be dealt with or at least begun to be dealt with,” she foresaw.
It wasn’t easy, getting people to put on record their forecasts for the next decennium, very unlike when it comes to cricket, where everyone has a prediction to the over. In the same way that hardly anyone will give you a straight answer on whether it will be Rajapaksa or Fonseka come the 27th, there were a lot of ‘ifs’ - if this happened then, a lot of ‘buts’ - but it can change, and a whole lot of ‘it may’, ‘perhaps it will’, ‘maybe’ (a.k.a. of course I can say but not to you, at least not right now).....