Waiting for Frodo
J.R.R. Tolkien’s One Ring was an instrument of power and suppression, forged to subjugate the free people of Middle Earth. Yet, the first word-picture of the Ring begins by emphasising its seeming…
Colombo
Tackling Period Poverty
Mahatma Gandhi said, “The measure of any society is how it treats its women.” This statement emphasizes the critical role women’s wellbeing plays in societal progress. The life of women in a…
The Translatability of Minority Ethnic Identities in Sri Lanka
Walter Benjamin, the German philosopher, introduced the concept of translatability, framing it not as an exploration of identity but as the translator’s ability to capture the essence of a text. His question,…
Razeen Sally’s Personal and Political Reconciliations of Sri Lanka
The Ceylon Literary Festival took place in Colombo in celebration of Sri Lanka’s art, culture and creativity. The three day programme was packed with a variety of talks with authors, podcasters, researchers,…
Reimagining Education in Sri Lanka – Part 2
To understand why our education system needs fundamental transformation, we must first understand its origins. As education pioneer Sugata Mitra explains in his influential TED Talk “Building a School in the Cloud,”…
Rohingyas: Why are They in Sri Lanka and What Should We Do?
Rohingyas are an ethnic community from Myanmar’s Rakhine province. They have been facing severe persecution for decades, which continues until today. Myanmar’s government doesn’t accept them as citizens, so they are stateless….
Reimagining Education in Sri Lanka – Part 1
Sri Lanka stands at a critical juncture in its development journey. The new government’s policy framework, “A Thriving Nation, A Beautiful Life,” correctly identifies education as fundamental to national revival and economic…
Embracing Nature’s Transformative Powers in Fallow
Fallow is a word often associated with inaction or unproductivity. In Layla Gonaduwa’s latest exhibition at Curado Art Gallery, the term fallow undergoes a nuanced reevaluation shedding light on its purpose as…
A Critical History of Women’s Health in Modern Sri Lanka
In her latest work Darshi Thoradeniya, a senior lecturer at the University of Colombo, gives an insightful exploration of the history of women’s health in Sri Lanka, shedding light on lesser known…
Enabling Atrocity by Design: Meta’s Dangerous New Direction
Meta’s decision to completely dismantle its fact checking programme with immediate effect will result in the accelerated abuse of the company’s technologies. This abuse will invariably lead to the loss of life,…
It’s the Party, Stupid: Sri Lanka’s Political Turnaround – Part 2
Sri Lanka has a tradition of strong and independent civil society organisations and of professional (and organisational) autonomy within many branches of the state apparatus. By the turn of the century, it…
It’s the Party, Stupid: Sri Lanka’s Political Turnaround – Part 1
It is not quite a miracle. But it is certainly a very impressive turnaround. From around 1970 until 2021, Sri Lanka seemed to be on an irreversible track toward steadily worsening governance:…
Driving Elephants – Is it Mitigation or Extinction?
The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) has, through pressure from the government, commenced large scale elephant drives once more. They are trying to drive approximately 150 elephants from an area of high…
The Murders of Troublesome Priests
January 6 this year is the 40 anniversary of the killing of Fr. Mary Bastian, a Catholic priest from the diocese of Mannar. It will be yet another anniversary to be celebrated without…
Beyond Electoral Victory: The President’s Political Tasks Ahead
Sri Lanka enters year 2025 with a new leader and a new political regime. The landslide victory the National Peoples Power (NPP) obtained in the general elections demonstrated the extent of mass…
