Caged Independence
The cherished Maya Angelou wrote once in her famous poem ‘Caged Bird’: [T]he caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard…
70 Years of Independence
Independent Woman
This collage examines women’s status in society, before and after colonisation. Pre-colonisation, women had a certain status (albeit never equal to a man) in society. Today, there is still a need to…
Against All Odds: Sri Lankan Women at the 70th Year of Independence
The email from Groundviews asking me to contribute to this series came on the same day that President Sirisena decided that a law prohibiting women from being involved in manufacturing, selling or…
70 Years of Independence | Dr Chandraguptha Thenuwara
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.…
The Catalogue
In 70 short years, we’ve amassed a catalogue that is overwhelming. Limit it to just physical horror – the massacres, the burnings, the shellings – the ones whose logic placed them outside…
70 Years of Independence | Muthalagu Pradeepan
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.…
A Welcoming Nation?
The following is a list of things I’m often asked or told, revealing of Sri Lankan perceptions about the Burgher community. Are you Sri Lankan? Can you speak in Sinhalese? ‘You’re a…
70 Years of Independence | Vicky Shahjahan
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.…
That old bo tree
Can we look back with pride at what we achieved during the past 70 years after independence in 1948 February? What’s our balance sheet like in terms of 70 years of socio-…
CARTOON: Uneasy Spectators
The celebrations the public sees on Independence Day attempt to project the idea of national unity. Yet this is misleading. The divisions we continue to see in Sri Lanka are often caused…
70 Years of Independence | Yamini Ravindran
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.…
Miles to go before we sleep: Reflections on Sri Lanka’s 70th anniversary of Independence
Seven decades have passed since the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’ broke free from the bondage of colonial rule. For a country that was subject to one of the longest periods of…
70 Years of Independence | Sarah Ashaya Soysa
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.…
We are one, but not the same
I have never been more honoured to be a Sri Lankan woman than I am today. You might find that ironic. In the last 365 days alone, we’ve seen too much evidence…
70 Years of Independence | Cassandra Faye Van-Heer
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.…