WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Saman Perera, a guest lecturer from the Lanka Bible Seminary and Colombo Theological College in Sri Lanka, will speak about post civil war issues in that southeast Asian country during a special presentation at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, in Melton Hall Room 112 on the Missouri State University-West Plains campus.

All community members are invited to attend this event, which is being hosted by the Missouri State-West Plains academic affairs office.

Perera will discuss reconciliation efforts between ethnic and religious communities; social justice, human rights and the roots of conflict; and peace building and non-violent conflict resolution, organizers said.

Perera describes himself in his biography as a peace educator, change agent and an activist focused on those who are ethnically, socially and religiously marginalized.  He is the founder of Samadana/m, an organization that fosters justice and peace through nonviolent action.  The organization’s work has been to help post-war Sri Lankan society heal and move beyond the wounds of the past.

Perera is minister-in-charge of Scot’s Kirk Presbyterian Church in Kandy, Sri Lanka, and currently serves as secretary of the Presbytery of Lanka.  He has been a visiting lecturer at Lanka Bible College Seminary, the Theological College of Lanka and Colombo Theological College, all in Sri Lanka.

He currently serves as chairman of the Ecumenical Relations Commission of the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka.

For more information, contact the Missouri State-West Plains academic affairs office at 417-255-7272.