Celebrating sexist, lewd live television in Sri Lanka
When I overhead someone talking about the dramatic finale of Swarnavahini’s Megastar reality show I wanted to know what had happened since I had seen a few episodes of this bizarre show…
Media and Communications
A-Z of Sri Lankan English: F is for for
Before reading on, try this short test. Which of the following sentences do you consider to be grammatically correct? 1. They have over a thousand visitors for a month. 2. They get…
The Media and the Future of Sri Lanka: Young Canadians’ Peace Dialogue on Sri Lanka
The co-editor of Nigel Nugawela spoke recently at a progressive forum of young Canadian – Sri Lankans in Toronto on the role of media in post-war Sri Lanka, including the use of…
From WikiLeaks to WikiLanka: War Is Definitely Savage Though “Accusations†Differ
The latest WikiLeaks “dump” of around 400,000 US classified war reports on Iraq from 2003 to 2009, the biggest “war leaks” ever in US history, reveals how inhuman and savage the war…
Securing Media Freedom in National Security States
“Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.” Benjamin Franklin. “Necessity is blind until it becomes conscious. Freedom is the consciousness of necessity.” Marx As Sri Lanka transforms from a welfare…
Political Satire in Sri Lanka: When Making Fun is No Laughing Matter
Review of a collection of satirical columns by Wimalanath Weeraratne Sinhala; 232 pp; Author publication; September 2010 Political satire is nothing new: it has been around for as long as organised government…
Dementia in Sri Lanka: A conversation with Tami Tamitegama
Tami Tamitegama is the President of the Lanka Alzheimer’s Foundation. Dementia is a global and growing problem, and when juxtaposed with Sri Lanka’s ageing population, places demands on our healthcare system the…
LLRC: Submission by Manik de Silva, President of the Editors Guild
Manik de Silva is the most senior and longest-serving Editor of an English newspaper in Sri Lanka. Presently the Editor of the and is currently the President of the Editors Guild. Manik’s…
A-Z of Sri Lankan English: E is for Eelamist
The word Eelamist (as adjective or noun) refers to a person or organisation which supports the Tamil separatist cause in Sri Lanka. Like certain other -ist words (Zionist, Islamist, Loyalist), the word…
‘Learning Lessons’ from those affected by war: Does the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission really listen?
The most recent sessions of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) were held in the conflict affected North from 18 to 20 September, at which a large number of persons, particularly…
In conversation with Bijayini Satpathy, Director of the Odissi Gurukul at Nrityagram
Bijayini Satpathy is Director of the Odissi Gurukul at Nrityagram. This was an interview produced for and broadcast on TV in Sri Lanka, complementing the ½ hour interview I recorded and conducted…
Protection from thought: The Economist and National Security in Sri Lanka
In what may be explained as an utterly fatuous action in a country that apparently has no that obtained a statement from Lakshman Hulugalle, the Director General of the Media Centre for…
AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF PUBLIC DEBATES: Encounters with Mervyn de Silva, 1960s-1980s
Image courtesy Transcurrents The odd story about former undergraduate Mervyn de Silva would be retailed around the corridors of Peradeniya campus when I was residing there as an undergraduate from 1957, an…
Official transcript of LLRC oral submission by Mr. Jayantha Dhanapala (Updated)
exclusively carried Jayantha Dhanapala’s response to erroneous and selective media reports of his submission to LLRC a few days ago, in which he promised an authoritative transcript of his presentation and of…
Open letter to Editors of Daily Mirror and Daily Mirror Online on violation of media ethics and the reinvention of Sri Lanka’s geography
[Editors note: We reproduce below two open letters sent to the Editors of the , and for others to critically engage with in what we feel is a vital and necessary debate…