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Transcription: [00:13:52]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Speaking of on the move I didn't mention where my family moved here from, my parents and my big brother moved to the United States from the country of Sri Lanka.

[00:14:01]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Have people heard of Sri Lanka? Ok, it's always a mixed bag when I ask that question in groups of people.

[00:14:07]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
My people are Tamil. Uh, we've lived in this country my family's lived in this country for decades now, a lot of Tamil people left Sri Lanka in the 80s, 90s, early 2000s due to the war that was going on there.

[00:14:22]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
This is a poem that I wrote last year talking about some of the history and some of the current issues going on there.

[00:14:30]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Uh, it's called how to enjoy your vacation to a country that says it won the war.

[00:14:37]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
While planning your journey, accept that ethics are not included in the price of your ticket.

[00:14:43]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Tell yourself your currency is helping the country.

[00:14:48]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Do not question government control of the tourism industry.

[00:14:52]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
When researching your destination, skip the sections on families in camps.

[00:14:58]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Book a tour, even if the army will not give them back their land.

[00:15:02]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Never ask why killing fields have been converted into resorts run by the military.

[00:15:08]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Learn the dominant language, which translates 'war criminals' into 'heroes'.

[00:15:14]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Make eye contact with soldiers and police in the northeast.

[00:15:19]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Inhale island steam from export quality tea. Exhale, torture, sexual violence, and surveillance as ongoing strategies.

[00:15:30]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Speak freely in public in your accent of opportunity. When talking about 'the people‘, identify them all as 'Sri Lankans'.

[00:15:41]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Do not stare too long at the survivors of genocide. Do not use that word at all.

[00:15:48]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Gaze into the sea that greets occupied Tamil homeland, and name it paradise.

[00:15:56]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Collect souvenirs celebrating elephants, so your friends envision beauty, not mass atrocities.

[00:16:03]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Define 'tourist' as 'none of this involves me'. Take photos of every sunset.

[00:16:10]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Always have your passport handy. Keep your conscience secure, in the hotel, safe.