Remembering Sivaram
Last week’s revelation that Tamilnet had been blocked to Sri Lankan citizens took the country yet another step further away from media freedom, posing the question: How much worse must the situation…
Author: niacharpentier
Half a Democracy
Photo credit: CDD This government does not represent me. It’s been said time and time again by the dissatisfied, the outraged and the incredulous community of Sri Lanka that is rapidly running…
The Publicity Baby
Abilash Jeyarajah looks like any other ordinary toddler, living with his family in a small village near Kalmunai in the Ampara district of Sri Lanka. But life was not so ordinary for…
After the dragon has been slain
The Dragon, a drama written by the late Russian playwright Eugene Schwartz, is a modern day political fairytale. It tells the story of Lancelot, who on his quest to slay the dragon,…
Sharing the burden
Information sharing on various levels has become something of a modern day phenomenon, no doubt fuelled by the extensive use of the internet. Perhaps it is also a result of a heightened…
Pressing for change
The general consensus at this year’s World Press Freedom Day celebrations was that there was, in fact, very little to celebrate. Instead, it was brought home once again how reporters, journalists and…
Causing a storm in a tea plantation
The plight of the Sri Lankan tea plantation worker is a well known issue in the country, and even though the law now grants them with full citizenship rights, the real story…
Meditation for a divided nation
While meditation may appear to be irrelevant in times of political and social unrest, there are some who believe that this ancient practice could contribute towards transforming violent conflicts, such as the…
Language Barriers
When looking at the root causes of the Sri Lankan conflict, one issue that comes up time and time again is language. According to The Constitution, Sri Lanka’s national languages are Sinhala…
A Wave of Relief
Since the devastating tsunami struck the coastal areas of Sri Lanka just over two years ago, there have been mixed reviews about the rehabilitation process reported in the media. On the one…
Reaching out
Sometimes it’s important to force oneself to see the glass as half full rather than half empty. When looking at the current situation in Sri Lanka, the bigger picture often looks very…
Peace in the playground
In many countries across the world, peace education is part of the school curriculum. Through this, people are able to acquire an understanding from an early age about the root causes of…
Peace Counts
Bad news is good news: The notion that disaster and despair are more newsworthy than peace and harmony is widely known. Countries like Columbia, Israel, Northern Ireland and the Philippines have had…
Gender and Journalism
For the past three decades, journalism in Sri Lanka has been dominated by men, and as a career it has generally been discouraged amongst women. Things are changing and female journalists are…
The Weligama Declaration
Sri Lanka’s current ‘no war no peace’ situation means that it is a country constantly teetering on the edge of a full scale war. As a result, tension is always high amongst…