Senthooran: Black July Through the Eyes of a Survivor
It has been 37 years since the anti-Tamil pogrom of July 1983, a riot that set the country ablaze and sparked a 30-year long and bloody war. But even after nearly four…
Photos
Traces of War on Their Bodies
These are the stories of people whose daily struggles come from witnessing and being trapped in the middle of a war that lasted three decades, who think that it would have been…
Memorialisation on May 18th: From Politicisation to Peoplisation
At the last stages of the war thousands of civilians who lived in the Vanni Region of Northern Sri-Lanka were killed, injured and disappeared. Surrenders of war and persons among detainees were…
White Flags
A series of coordinated bomb explosions killed hundreds in Sri Lanka as they congregated for Easter Sunday mass, on April 21, 2019. Among the six main blast sites were three churches; St.…
Jana Balaya Colombo – Lessons Learned
On September 5, Colombo was nearly empty even during the after-school rush hour. The reason was the Joint Opposition’s Jana Balaya rally, the location of which remained under wraps until the last…
Jana Bala Sena Rally (Photos)
On August 2, the Joint Opposition held the “Jana Bala Sena” rally, beginning at Lipton Circus and ending at the Vihara Maha Devi Park amphitheatre. The protest at Lipton Circus was broadcast…
The Year in Photos
As 2017 draws to a close, Groundviews shares a selection of photos taken over the course of the year, covering a variety of issues, from displacement and militarisation in the North to…
#justaphotolka : Highlighting and Pushing Back Against Ongoing Surveillance in Vavuniya
On November 24, two youth were questioned in Vavuniya around posts they had made on Facebook. One of the photos was of the Divisional Secretariat of Vavuniya North, Nandukerni, and specifically, a…
In Their Absence: Families of the Disappeared Share Treasured Keepsakes
“Do you have anything that reminds you of your son/daughter/husband/grandchildren? Something that they used?” Mother/Father/Wife/Sister/Grandmother: “I have, son. I kept it safely. I washed my son’s blood-stained shirt, and kept it with…
The Evolution of Sri Lanka’s #Instameet
On March 26, a group of 13 or so created some confusion among the vendors at the old market on Sea Street in Negombo. “Where are you from?” was an often-repeated question.…
A Thousand Words: Seeking the story beyond the photo
View the full story compiled on Adobe Spark here, or below.
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…
Inside the Blood Bank on World Blood Donor Day
June 14 marks World Blood Donor Day. takes a look inside Sri Lanka’s National Blood Transfusion Service, to better understand the process of blood donation – and how it showcases the best…
Common Ground: A series of photo essays
February 4, 1948 was a historic day for Sri Lanka. Yet, often forgotten is the struggle Sri Lankans faced to ensure independence. It was the concerted effort of people, regardless of class,…
IUSF Protest (Photos)
Pictures courtesy Pavithra Jovan de Mello Yesterday (3) some 5000 students belonging to the Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) marched from Nugegoda to the University Grants Commission. The students were calling for…
