Readers of Pramudith D. Rupasinghe Forum Negating the author`s bias.. a..

“Defeating the bias was the main challenge I faced when I was writing “Behind the Eclipse” 

Tamba is from rural West Africa, from a region where the cultures are barely known to the rest of the world. His world has very little in common with the culture I originate from. His faith: worship of ancestors, then Christianity—Charismatic denomination—they have remained quite distant from my life. Understanding that was not as difficult as beginning to interpret how Tamba would think about everything he encounters in his life- his ambitions, social interactions, relationships, fears, and loves. I had to consider all these factors to stay in the socio-cultural context of Tamba, the Kissi boy who was growing up in remote West Africa that remained, unlike today, almost completely disconnected from the civilised world. 
I had to visualise, scenes and acts of the story—as it was a work of fiction—matching to the social norms and mores, not only of Kissi society but also the other tribes with whom Tamba interacts, and also to highlight the social and cultural dynamics, or in other words, the evolvement of West African society, then Liberia as a country, with Western influence. It was practically an experience of living the life Tamba had in a time of great change. A journey I endured with enormous difficulties, battling with the values I have been oriented on, and the norms I had been taught by my own society. And the nearly contrasting faiths that Tamba and I followed. 
It would have been easier for me to tell the world that the cultural practices of old Kissi society were primitive, and taboos in the modern context, but I strived to avoid that force of blindness and instead to look behind the curtain of cultural bias. Without labeling the culture of Tamba, and the other tribe (the word tribes I perceive imperialistic but I have left with no option), I made attempts to see the beauty of the world in their eyes, and explore the rationale of their every single act. Regarding worship of ancestors, I found it psychologically healing for them to be in communication with someone who already understood their problems and social values. 
Tamba always questioned his faith; as a converted Christian he was supposed to believe the God,and yet, he could not get rid of his devotion and respect of ancestors. At one point I imagine me as Tamba, praying to his grandfather—the ‘Oldman’—and try to visualise how he would feel. It was actually a feeling of great relief and freedom. I did not allow either my oriental culture or Buddhist philosophy to intervene in my imaginary world where Tamba lived, the life he lived and what he encountered. Basically I did not allow Tamba to think like an Asian or Buddhist but made sure that he lived a piece of life across all cultures in his time, to discover all faiths around him, live all experiences possible, and go on a journey of self-discovery, through one of the most difficult times in human history: he would be able to show the world his courage, resilience and endurance in the face of adversity. 
Tamba did it well I believe.