July 1983, State Racism and Truth Commissions
Image courtesy Sangam To everyone who has not read them I recommend reading Izeth Hussain’s, articles of 31 August and 7 September in The Island, and my article in groundviews and in…
Remember the Riots
‘Black July’ now available for download on iTunes
is pleased to announce that ‘Black July‘, an edited volume anchored to articles originally published on this site, is now available for download on Apple’s iTunes bookstore in 51 stores globally. The volume is…
Archiving multiple drafts of history
Presentation by Dilrukshi Handunnetti delivered at panel discussion on 25th August 2013, as part of the ‘30 Years Ago‘ exhibition. Photograph courtesy The Ravaya Collection. My first memories of July 1983 remain vivid. There…
The Burning Questions
A stroll through the Public Library of Jaffna, and some reflections on knowledge, culture and the open space to question, create and dissent The sun burns the Jaffna peninsula. It devours every…
Remembering, to never again repeat: Launch of 30 Years Ago site
Photo by Seshanka Samarajiwa/The Picture Press The culmination of months of dedicated research, travel, challenging production work and curation, I am very pleased to launch . The project is an attempt to…
30 Years Ago – The Next Page
To remember Black July, brought together leading documentary filmmakers, photographers, activists, theorists and designers, in Sri Lanka and abroad, to focus on just how deeply the anti-Tamil pogrom in 1983 shaped our imagination, lives,…
Homeless, why?
July ’83. It was the month and year I would like to forget. As we woke up that fateful July morning, all I knew and felt was the tension in the air,…
30 Years Ago: How ICTs Are Changing Sri Lanka
To remember Black July, brought together leading documentary filmmakers, photographers, activists, theorists and designers, in Sri Lanka and abroad, to focus on just how deeply the anti-Tamil pogrom in 1983 shaped our imagination, lives,…
30 Years Ago: I Was I Am trailer
To remember Black July, brought together leading documentary filmmakers, photographers, activists, theorists and designers, in Sri Lanka and abroad, to focus on just how deeply the anti-Tamil pogrom in 1983 shaped our…
Remembering the riots
Image courtesy Thuppahi’s blog June 2013 saw violent clashes between small groups of Sri Lankans at cricket grounds around the UK. Although barely reported by the mainstream media, for members of Voices…
On the 30th Anniversary of the Pogrom of July 1983
Photo courtesy Ilankai Tamil Sangam I was GA and District Secretary Jaffna at that time, and was not directly a victim of the pogrom, but was very much involved with the care…
Forgetting Black July
Photo courtesy BBC I was born ten years after Black July. I am a Singhalese. A week or so ago, as the thirty-year anniversary approached, for curiosity’s sake, I did a small experiment.…
A moonlit walk
July 1983 was four years after I was born. Like many in my generation who were not directly affected by the events that took place, memories are hazy and disjointed. Black July…
Pursuit of Revenge is Not Path to Justice
Photo courtesy BBC In our favourite bar on the afternoon of the 21st this month, I was having a beer with my usual drinking partner, the Sri Lankan Tamil fellow, Sivapuranam Thevaram. “That…
The Commanding Officer
Photo courtesy BBC I remember going over to the house of a friend and trying to save the house from attack and destruction. I remember our failure to achieve that hope. A…
