Photo courtesy of AP An updated version of the Social Media Declaration (SMD), which was formulated by a group of civil society and media organisations in 2019, was launched in Colombo. The declaration is a significant initiative aimed at fostering open discussion and raising awareness about the need for the ethical and responsible use of social media and the strengthening ...
Arulraj Ulaganathan unveiled his first solo exhibition A Life in Tea, presenting his journey as a member of the Malaiyaga Tamil tea plantation worker community. Through his art, Arulraj captures the past, present and future of this community, illuminating the profound struggles that have shaped his personal and collective experience. Arulraj hails from the mist-filled tea trails of Haputale where ...
Photo courtesy of Sri Lanka Mirror Sri Lankans will participate in another presidential election before the end of this year. This election will be held after the country has faced what was probably the worst economic crisis in the post-colonial period. The primary reason for this was the Sri Lankan state’s inability to service loans from global financial capital. Capitalist ...
Photos courtesy of the Saskia Fernando Gallery Prof. Chandraguptha Thenuwara’s annual memorial exhibition to commemorate Black July is showing at the Saskia Fernando gallery. Meta-Real serves as a link between past and present, providing a reflective examination of Sri Lanka’s socio-political evolution since the 1980s. The exhibition furthers Prof. Thenuwara’s exploration of the nation’s socio-political and cultural dynamics as it ...
Photo by Ama Koralage The persistence of this gash, persnickety yet pernicious, painful, powerful, collective memory, to get the image framed for the memorial service, bodies burnt on the Yal Devi Express, houses and kovil in Wellawatte on fire, prisoners bludgeoned, brutalized, beheaded at Welikada, mob marching to the head of Elibank Road, answered firmly by the neighbor: We have ...
Photo courtesy of Kumanan In Sri Lanka fear is pervasive. Suppression of media and fundamental rights of people and repression of human rights defenders foster a climate of fear, silencing victims and inhibiting reconciliation. Political and criminal interests threaten the justice system, putting lives at risk for exposing the truth. For decades, regimes have perpetuated impunity, showing no signs of ...
Photo courtesy of Sri Lanka Brief How accurate are pollsters? Access My India is a leading consumer data intelligence company that predicted a major win for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the recent Indian elections. Its chairman and managing director, Pradeep Gupta, broke down in tears on a TV programme expressing his disappointment with his projection’s failure. Gupta ...
Photo courtesy of News18 This month marks the second anniversary since former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was ousted in a mass uprising. The 2022 March to July mass protest wave was truly an extraordinary event in Sri Lanka’s political history. People from all walks of life joined the protests that demanded the resignation of the former president. Those who took to ...
Photo courtesy of Daily Mirror “I like the politicians who tell the truth – so that’s none of them.” A British voter (The Guardian 19.6.2024) Two years ago, on July 20, 2022, the Sri Lankan parliament voted to elect a successor president to Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The SLPP put its full weight behind Ranil Wickremesinghe; even a parliamentarian hospitalised for surgery ...
Photo courtesy of Economic Times Sri Lanka has been forefront in the South Asian region in the battle of technology and innovation. While protecting the privacy and data flow across online, it passed the Personal Data Protection Act No. 9 of 2022 (PDPA) in parliament, which was certified by the speaker on March 19, 2022. The Act should ensure the ...
Photo courtesy of x.com In the Institute for Health Policy (IHP) SLOTS polling in June, net favourability rating of SJB leader Sajith Premadasa improved to -39 in June (up 27 points) compared to the previous month. NPP/JVP leader A.K. Dissanayake remained the least unpopular major party leader, with his favourability at -20 (down 18 points) and President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s favourability ...
In his exhibition Dystopia at the Saskia Fernando Gallery, Hashan Cooray explores societal and political challenges through a metaphorical lens. It features paintings and two installations that confront the complex relationship between an individual and the socio-political systems within which they exist. One installation comprises 60 metres of newspaper headlines from the 2022 Aragalaya protest movement and the aftermath. His work ...
Photo courtesy of Ecotextile Labour law reforms are drawing strong resistance from local and transnational labour and civil society groups. The Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment, Manusha Nanayakkara, presented an Employment Draft Bill to the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) last week to review and propose amendments by July 21. Following the pandemic, the reforms are packaged as a ...
Photo courtesy of Al Jazeera Today is World Population Day World Population Day is a day to raise awareness and focus on the urgency, importance and complexities of global population issues. The day was first commemorated on July 11, 1987 as the the day of five billion when the global population first crossed fivebillion people and it brought the focus ...
Photo courtesy of Sivamohan Sumathy The Tamil musician, Rex Periyasamy, stands as a towering figure in the Sinhala film industry, leading it to new heights with his musical compositions. In the midst of his flourishing career, Rex marries Kanthi, a Sinhala woman, embodying the multicultural essence of the country’s film landscape. Together, they build a life filled with prosperity, dreams ...
The Uncover photography exhibition, curated by the Act Now Initiative, is a profound visual and narrative exploration into the themes of truth, justice and life in Sri Lanka. The exhibition is a reminder of the country’s tumultuous history and ongoing struggles, inviting visitors to confront the harsh realities faced by many Sri Lankans. The exhibition delves into various critical issues ...
“Too far Yet too close The soul, as dense as a forest So dark and deep Don’t fade away: Don’t fade away O mysterious being Don’t run off: Don’t run off Like a fewer dream Like the soothing, gentle touch of someone close Caress my body and soul with love so mellow” (The song played at the end of the ...
Photo courtesy of News18 The demise of Rajavarothayam Sampanthan, the senior-most leader who guided Tamil national politics post Mullivaikkal, has deepened the leadership vacuum in Tamil politics. Sampanthan entered the political arena through the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), being inspired by the ethnic liberation politics of S.J.V. Chelvanayagam, and served as the leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) ...
Photo courtesy of The Economist Institute for Health Policy’s (IHP) Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) MRP provisional estimates of presidential election voting intent in May 2024 show support for NPP/JVP leader AK Dissanayake at 39% (-2) and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa at 38% (unchanged compared to April). Support for President Ranil Wickremesinghe increased to 15% (+3) while support for ...
Photo courtesy ICES In a world where narratives of conflict and division dominate, the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) offers a refreshing perspective through its latest project, Shared Encounters. This semi-academic book, along with three accompanying documentaries, seeks to challenge the prevailing discourse by highlighting stories of coexistence and ethnic confluence from Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. These works ...
