Garment workers in the Free Trade Areas in Sri Lanka

From the Frying Pan and into the Fire by Sandya Hewamanne.

 

Continuing our theme of Sri Lanka, we learned that Professor Hewamanne had spent nearly a year in a labor intense garment sweatshop just outside of Colombo. The area was a “free zone” meaning it did not have to conform to the labor zones of the country.  She worked a 10- 15 hour day, earning only $2 per day and lived in a crowded guesthouse along side the other female garment workers.  They had to step over their beds to get out of the room which was little more than a closet!

 

I had many questions:

 

Who were these girls?

 

·      Unmarried women aged 17 – 23 from the rural areas

·      Were willing to work for a pittance – men would demand more!

·      Maybe saving for a dowry or education or just to send money home

·      Will take any physical or verbal abuse handed out by the bosses

·      Usually educated to at least high school level but some falsify records

·      Some have a degree and cannot get a job

·      Had to be prepared to be treated differently by men in the free zone and people from their villages because their work decisions did not conform to what a “nice girl” would do.  These jobs produced a stigma as  girls are usually protected by their father or brothers to keep them safe for their potential husband.

 

So did they really fall from the frying pan to the fire?

 

I am excited that we will visit this garment factory when we arrive in Sri Lanka in August and I will be able to do some first hand interviews and observations.

 

In the words of Dorinne Kondo 1997 describing the lives of these woman.

“The world of aesthetics is a site of struggle and a space where identities are created.”

Next we had a lecture entitled  Islam in South Asia by Akbar Hyder.

Did you know:

·      1.4 Muslims live in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh individually more than any other country in the Muslim world.

·      Islam started in Mecca and Medina in 622CE and was spread by migrant workers, merchants, mystics and warriors.

·      Islam means “Submission to the will of God.”

·      There are multiple modes of Islam just like in Christianity.

Later came a  lecture about the Taj Mahal by Janice Leoshko.  More to come when I visit with Ella the Elephant.

 

Lastly was a lecture on the Ramayana, one of the greatest epics from India (along with the Mahabharata) which was presented by Ian Woolsford and is told orally, in dance, music or art.  It was recorded in the original Sanskrit and is known by every child in the Hindu world from a very young age.  This will be a large part of my curriculum as I compare legends from India with ones from our own Native Americans. I intend to use this story of Rama and Sita to find out more about the culture of India and their gods.

Fun fact:

·      A TV version is shown here in India and also a cartoon comic.  When the show is on, India practically stops what it is doing as it is so popular.

 

Well folks, the day has arrived and I must pack to start my travels with Ella in India.  Fulbright have prepared us well in Austin and will continue to do so when we start our visit.