Kandy: The damage and the distrust
In Akurana, bunting with the words ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ hangs inside a quiet home. In Digana, newly built shops hurry to restock for weeks of festive shopping. In Pallekele, kanji is being cooked…
Year: 2018
Women’s Participation at the Grassroots Level
Drawing on the idea that the personal is political and challenging the notion that political empowerment can be measured solely with a seat in a legislature, this article focuses on the forms…
Women’s Representation and Participation in Formal Politics
Despite the drive for gender equality promoted at the Beijing UN World Conference on Women in 1995, the Sri Lankan State appears to have taken little responsibility for narrowing the gender gap…
The Subversion Of Our Democratic Political Spaces & What It Means For Sri Lanka’s Future
Introduction Since Independence in 1948, Sri Lanka has witnessed three unsuccessful armed struggles. Two of these (1971 and 1987-89) have been confined mainly to the Sinhalese South. The last one in the…
A Culture of Dependency
The following article is a translation of a story by our sister site examining the exploitative practises of microfinance companies based in the North and East, which are causing fresh trauma for…
RightsCon 2018: Trends, lessons and connections
Update: The first months of 2018 have seen global scrutiny of Facebook steadily increase and the reveal of the data breach by Cambridge Analytica. Several countries impacted by the weaponisation of social…
Invisible Barriers: The Struggle to Combat Violence, Online and Off
Rights activists have been abducted, detained and assaulted in the pursuit of their work in Sri Lanka, both during and after the war. Even under the present government, the crackdown on the…
The Multiculturalism of Sinhala Song: a Review of Sons and Fathers
Multiculturalism in Sri Lanka is often understood as the co-existence of distinct ethnic communities, whose individual histories have unfolded independently during different eras, in different parts of the country.[1] Conventional historical narratives…
INFOGRAPHIC: Video Verification
Editor’s Note: From a series of infographics tweeted about the importance of fact-checking before sharing unverified content, and also shared content related to media literacy in a bid to raise awareness on its importance. View the full…
INFOGRAPHIC: Photo Verification
Featured image courtesy Alexandre Dulaunoy Editor’s Note: From a series of infographics tweeted about the importance of fact-checking before sharing unverified content, and also shared content related to media literacy in a bid to raise awareness on…
Chinese Roulette in Paradise Isle
Donald Trump first became a household name in the US for a book he claimed as his own but didn’t write – The Art of the Deal. Recently he learned a real…
Remembering, Nine Years On
May 18, 2009 is a day that showcases division. To some, it is a day of mourning. To others, cause for celebration. Families in the North and East who commemorate their family…
Conflict-Affected Women in Sri Lanka – Still Waiting For Answers
There has been a marked increase in female-headed households in the North and East of the country as a consequence of the war in Sri Lanka concluded in 2009. Women in Sri…
The OMP and the Aspirations of Families of the Missing and Disappeared
The first permanent official body created to search and trace missing persons in Sri Lanka is the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) established under Act No. 14 of 2016. This was done…
INFOGRAPHIC: 10 Types of Mis And Disinformation
Editor’s Note: This infographic is part of a series tweeted about the importance of fact-checking before sharing unverified content, and also shared content related to media literacy in a bid to raise awareness on its importance. View…