After the Fact
The family of Amal Sanderatne shared a public message, which was courageous and honest in the context of the stigma that has cloaked the issue of mental health and suicidal ideation in…
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Forty years On: Denial, Remembrance, Resistance and Hope
The horrific events of July 1983, when a wave of state organised arson and murder against Tamils left many dead, displaced or traumatised, shocked people in Sri Lanka and internationally. Many people…
Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy on How Black July Impacted her life and Work
Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy, a prominent lawyer, diplomat and human rights advocate, is widely recognised for her significant contributions to the field of international human rights and women’s rights. She served as the…
We Were One Until We Were Brutally Torn Apart
It was July 25, 1983 – that fateful day, which altered the trajectory of my life forever. Growing up in Colombo, we had come to accept the sad fact that ethnic conflicts…
Ambika Satkunanathan on How Black July Influenced Her Activism
An expert in Transitional Justice, accountability and reconciliation, former Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, Ambika Satkunanathan shares a powerful story of loss and perseverance during Black July and its impact…
Bleak Memories of Black July from Bandarawela
While Colombo bore the brunt of the violence of Black July in 1983, other areas of the country were also affected. Groundviews conducted interviews with survivors in Bandarawela, many of whom described…
July 83: A Mission of Revenge Takes Life of Activist
I was in Jaffna in July 1983, staying with a few friends of mine at the boy’s hostel of the University of Jaffna. The hostel was situated right by the Kokkuvil train…
Dear Vimalathasan Anna
I don’t have any kind of greedy idea that you will get this letter. And yet, I cannot leave off from writing this letter to you. The mind flutters like the…
Unearthing Bandarawela’s Hidden Past: A Call for Memorialization and Reconciliation
Bandarawela town is the definition of a picture perfect landscape, surrounded by green hills, lush trees and bright flowers. But Bandarawela is also evolving into an urban hub in its own way.…
Incubating, Again
Half a century ago, it was higher education, saving universities from Tamil encroachment. Today it is Buddhist heritage, saving archaeological sites in the North and the East from Tamil encroachment. Tomorrow another…
A Child’s Trauma Revealed Years Later
Pradeep The timing could not have been more disastrous. Shirani and the children were in Colombo when the riots broke out in July 1983. Arvind was three and Arjun was one year…
Living in Fear 40 Years On
When I confronted my Sinhala neighbour in my broken Sinhala over a certain issue recently, My Tamil neighbour pleaded, “Maureen we are Tamils, we can be in trouble”. I was shocked to…
Rebirth and Memory Black July, 40 Years Later
It is painful to read how Sri Lankan government ministers rallied their goondas to fan out in neighborhoods looking for Tamil homes marked on voter lists. It is painful to…
Anti-Tamil Pogrom of July 83: Root Causes Unaddressed Even After 40 Years
Editor’s note: July 23, 2023 marks the 40th anniversary of the July 83 anti-Tamil pogrom, which has left an indelible mark on Sri Lanka’s history. This dark chapter overshadowed the nation’s post-independence…
Chandraguptha Thenuwara’s Three Exhibitions to Mark 40 Years of Black July
Since 1997, barring 2005, artist, sculptor, teacher and activist Professor Chandraguptha Thenuwara has been commemorating the horrific events of July 1983 in a series of exhibitions designed to make sure that people…