It seems like every day there is something to give me cause for serious alarm. Today it is this: the Bodu Bala Sena, in it's infinite wisdom, will start a new campaign to prevent Muslim women from wearing the abaya in public; details to be given at their rally in Kandy on March 17th. (via DBS Jeyaraj) Why do I write this now, before I have details? I contemplated waiting, but it always seems

Behold, the latest godsend bestowed upon Sri Lankan women. "an innovative new day spa focusing on luxuriously indulgent skin whitening rituals to pamper guests from head to toe." An alternate tagline, proposed by me: "the latest money making scheme by Spa Ceylon, feeding on the insecurities of South Asian women left behind by our gracious colonisers. Or perhaps: Too dark, too fugly?

In this age of internet warriors, it's a tough job to ask people to come and join us on the streets. If you're lucky enough to get past their cynicism and apathy, the sheer volume of excuses will stop you in your tracks - oh I have work, there's traffic, I live far away etc etc. Of course there is only so much you can say to convince people; some are content to sit by their laptop,

Bravo. In a parliament of fools, you are truly king.  Your assertion that women in leadership positions obstruct the progress of work and that women "have a tendency to exert their authority over [a] place" and tend to "not listen to anyone" should come as no shocker to me, but forgive my silly womanly sentiments, for I am insulted.  Yet again. Mysogynist and sexist commentary is no

A Rally for Unity was held at Green Path yesterday, organised by this group. It was an admirable attempt to gather a group of people to stand up against the ugly, racist rhetoric that has been dominating the discourse for sometime now. It was well organised and peacefully held, save a small kerfuffle with some nefarious characters at the beginning. Halik has a better post here.  

from This is the feminist edition. * Why you're not a feminist put into words what I never could. "We, and by “we,” I mean the self-identified feminist community (and proponents of “I’m not, but,”) do not have a dream monochrome enough to be able to rally behind one leading principle, let alone one leading individual. We must breathe into our own plans space for the activism of others

a girl died today. executed. the word hangs over me like a sword. jailed for 7 years, only to see sunlight for the briefest of moments. darkness is eternal.   what is it like to walk to your death? no friendly face, no comforting hand alone in a strange land.. what is it like to be surrounded by men who in moments will, methodically, dispassionately, end your life?       do you think of your

In the lead up to 14th February and One Billion Rising, OBR Sri Lanka is organising an online campaign titled "Reasons to Rise". I've written enough on this blog for my readers to know how bad the situation is in Sri Lanka and I firmly believe that any and all awareness and activism is helpful. Please contribute photographs, videos, art, and as most of you are bloggers, blog posts stating why we

 We will be gathering at Lipton Circus, (which is the roundabout near ODEL) at 4.30pm for a demonstration against Violence against Women and Children, and then hold a candlelight vigil dedicated to everyone who has been abused, harassed, raped and killed because of GBV. What you need to do: <!--[if gte mso 9]>

Reproduced here from a cached copy of the One Billion Rising website, because this wonderful piece of writing is inaccessible now that the OBR website has been updated for 2014 activities. --- The brave and courageous Delhi gang rape victim breathed her last on December 30, 2012. This article is a tribute to her and other victims of violence against women. Violence against women is as

Let me keep this short. Yes FM has some kind of battle of the sexes radio competition in which girls answer boy-type questions and vice versa in a bid to win.. something. Behold today's questions: Boy's Qs: Who is the Carebears' leader, what is Bambi's friend skunk's name, who is Sheera (?) when she's a normal princess. I don't even.. Girl's Qs: What is a man's favourite fashion accessory, a

I am writing this while my head is still buzzing from a day’s worth of human rights-related conversation. Sunila Abeysekera gave a lecture today on human rights, conflict and gender, and the topic of sex workers raised a discussion between some of us that gave me lots of food for thought. I will post my thoughts, unformatted, and then update ...

Melo is back. Don't wear a white t-shirt (just in case).  August 3rd, 6.30pm, Nuga Sevana (On the Cathedral premises off Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7)

  Sunila Abeysekera 1952-2013 I met Sunila a little less than a year ago in Nepal, where she was doing a session for us on conflict and feminism. I remember seeing her sitting in that circle of incredible women and being so proud that she was one of our own, the finest example of a Sri Lankan woman. We ate our meals in the shadow of the Himalayas and we talked about the women's movement in

There is no end to the ways in which we will sell out women to make a buck. The Floor by O! is the latest addition to a long line of sexist marketing aimed at capitalising on the repressed and frenzied sexual nature of the men in our fair country.  When the Brewery at Dutch Hospital and then Floor opened, they were immediately noted for their pleasing locations, great atmosphere and

Well, it's happening again. Yesterday afternoon saw a small group of Colombo residents wandering around in dismay among a mess of cut branches and uprooted tree stumps. The tree lined avenue opposite the Arts Faculty of Colombo Uni is undergoing what we can only assume is "beautification". As is now par for the course, no one, including the people directed to cut the trees, knows why or

The liars, the cheaters, the schemers. The harassers, the rapists, the murderers. The alcoholics, the drug addicts, the wife beaters, the child abusers. The ones who put chilli powder in their wife's vagina. The ones who play with their penis in front of their daughter. The ones who rape their stepdaughters while their wives earn a living abroad. The ones who put their penis into a 6 month

Password

I'm taking a break from armchair activism to to put up some pictures of PIX, an exhibition I went to last week. It was a selection of photographs from some of Sri Lanka's finest photographers, and honestly left me a little dazzled; while I appreciate the amateur photography exhibitions I go to, there's nothing like looking at the world through the lens of a pro to know what photography is really

Sometimes, if you're lucky, you only need to ask this question once in your life. I'll remember this place not for what happened but for how I felt- so small, yet so invincible. I'll remember it as the moment I reminded myself I still believe in magic. It is said that you should do something every day that scares you. That day, I did. 17th August Anjaneya hill Hampi, India.