What does it mean to be Sri Lankan?
70 years after independence, our identity is defined mostly along majoritarian lines, which can be traced back to the divisions created under British rule. These divisions have contributed to violence and war, in the years since 1948.
To this day, there are communities who feel that what is commonly projected and defined as the Sri Lankan identity does not reflect their reality, or themselves.
Looking at this, Groundviews produced a series of videos exploring identity and belonging in a country emerging from war, but not yet out of conflict.
Cassandra Faye Van-Heer talks about feeling unwelcome in Sri Lanka, despite calling it home. She recounts the discrimination her family members faced in the past, reflective of their experiences of the Burgher community in the wake of the Sinhala Only Language Act.
Editor’s Note: To view the next video in the series, click here. To go back to the previous video, click here. Click here for more content around Sri Lanka’s 70th Independence Day.