Aluthgama Three Years On
Dharga town is sleepy in the afternoon heat, especially at this time of year, the month of Ramadan. However, three years ago, in 2014, the streets were filled with smoke. has written…
Author: Raisa Wickrematunge
A Tale of Incompetence – RTI Reveals CMC Inaction Leading Up To Meethotamulla Tragedy
On April 14, 2017 the garbage dump in Meethotamulla collapsed, killing 32 people. These deaths could have been avoided. That they could not, points to a systematic failure of the State to…
Colombo Pride: The History
On June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich, New York, a group of queer patrons decided to fight back during a police raid. The Stonewall riots were a reaction to…
Imbalance of Power: Examining the struggle for land in Mullikulam and Keppapulavu
Last July, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said Sri Lanka was planning to demilitarise by 2018. The cautious optimism that followed this news died away when the military contradicted Samaraweera’s speech, with Jaffna…
A Thousand Unanswered Questions: The ongoing plight of families of the disappeared
The photographs are framed in a variety of ways; gilt-edged, glossy black wood, or laminated. Creased from being held and passed around. Whatever the frame, they are cradled with equal tenderness. These…
Meethotamulla: A Preventable Tragedy
In 2012, I visited Madampitiya to help with research for a friend’s thesis. The subject was the spread of disease in this area, situated close to a garbage dump. The tiny lanes…
UPDATED: Flip-flopping on Accountability – A Timeline
Sri Lanka recently co-sponsored a resolution at the 34th session of the UN Human Rights Council, allowing Sri Lanka two more years to implement the recommendations made in Resolution 30/1 of 2015.…
Fighting Unfair Expectations: Senel Wanniarachchi
The discussion on gender equality is often condensed (or dismissed) as ‘women’s issues.’ However gender inequality can affect men as well, and redressing this balance is something men should advocate for, too,…
Overqualified: Mahishaa Balraj
Mahishaa Balraj faced real opposition when pushing for gender equality at her college in Chennai. In response to her campaigning, Mahishaa was the target of vicious cyber attacks that forced her to…
On Androgyny: Vicky Shahjahan
Vicky Shahjahan seems to naturally command attention. The tall 24-year-old doesn’t seem to notice this, chatting about art while walking through . Yet suddenly Vicky stops and points to a curious lady…
In the Driver’s Seat: Lakshi Sajintha Hewa Halpage
Lakshi Sajintha Hewa Halpage never thought she would become a bus driver. It remains an unusual career choice, given that it is a predominantly male-dominated profession in Sri Lanka. Lakshi was not…
On Independence: An Audiovisual Story
February 4, 1948 is a date most schoolchildren learn by rote in history class; the day Sri Lanka declared independence from the British, ending a cycle of colonial rule dating back as…
Empathetic Media: Covering death with sensitivity
I’m here to speak to you today on a topic that, for me, has deep personal significance. It was quite a difficult decision for me to speak to you all today. In…
Paradise Lost: The hidden costs of tourism development in Sri Lanka
August 27 is World Tourism Day. This year, the theme is “promoting universal accessibility.” decided to focus on sustainable tourism – and specifically, on how tourism development has impacted local communities. Tourism is…
Searching for Answers: The Road to the OMP
Featured image courtesy VikalpaSL August 30 is the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. This year has seen the passage of legislation to enable the set-up of an Office of…