42Broken Palmyrah (1999)

Godwin R. Constantine (b. 1964)

Photographs

Collection the artist

First performed: VAFA Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1999

‘Broken Palmyrah’ is Godwin R. Constantine’s first performance work and one of the earliest examples of contemporary performance art in Sri Lanka. The performance was advertised as a “homage to Rajini Thiranagama at an auspicious time between 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm, after the arrival of guests of honour at 7 pm and the lighting of a (non)traditional oil lamp at 7.30 pm.” At the designated time, the artist burned a painting of a broken palmyrah palm. In 1989 Dr. Rajini Thiranagama, a medical doctor and human rights campaigner, co-authored a book that was written in the immediate aftermath of the Indo-Sri Lanka peace accord of 1987, exposing the extreme violence and brutality inflicted at the height of the Sri Lankan civil conflict. The book was titled ‘The Broken Palmyrah’ in respect to the tragedy that had befallen the north of Sri Lanka. A native palm found in the north of Sri Lanka, the palmyrah, known for its resilience, is often used to symbolize the north of the country as it faced adversity. On 21 September 1989 Dr. Thiranagama was shot dead while cycling home. Her death was blamed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in retaliation for her criticism of them in her book. Constantine’s performance paid homage to Dr. Thiranagama’s selfless act of courage and marked one of the first attempts by a contemporary artist to reflect on stories of resilience emerging from the conflict period.

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