“What the Europeans did to Sri Lanka” by Lost in Context

From their first arrival in 1505 to Sri Lanka’s independence in 1948, European empires shaped the island, and the rest of Asia.
 
This video looks at Sri Lanka’s colonial experience, how it was transformed and what stayed the same.
 
Sources:
-A History of Sri Lanka, K. M. de Silva -Elephant Complex; Travels in Sri Lanka, John Gimlette
-The Cage: The Fight for Sri Lanka and the Last Days of the Tamil Tigers, Gordon Weiss
-The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History, Sanjeev Sanyal
-This Divided Island: Stories from the Sri Lankan War, Samanth Subramanian
  • Various news sources, especially The Economist
00:00 Intro
01:00 Portuguese arrival
02:23 Portuguese Ceylon
04:12 Dutch Ceylon
07:00 Colombo to Hikkaduwa
11:00 British arrival
12:14 ‘Indian’ Tamils
13:15 British Ceylon
16:33 Independence
17:27 Hikkaduwa to Galle
18:37 Galle Protest
21:39 The President resigns
23:21 Next video
 
 

 

 

“Portuguese-Sri Lankan Surnames And Their Meanings” by Roel Raymond (Roar Media Archive)

Cover: The Portuguese manner of dressing was adopted by the Ceylonese. (Image courtesy sundaytimes.lk)

We would like to share a link to read an article written by Roel Raymond for Roar Media Archive on “Portuguese-Sri Lankan Surnames And Their Meanings” 

A traditional Portuguese-Sri Lankan wedding in the Batticaloa area. (Image courtesy natgeotourism.com)

The Portuguese arrived in Ceylon, or Ceilão, as they called it, by chance. In 1505, a fleet commanded by Lourenço de Almeida—the son of Francisco de Almeida, the first viceroy of Portuguese India—was blown into Galle by adverse winds. It was thirteen years later, in 1518, that the Portuguese established formal contact with the Kingdom of Kotte, ruled by Vira Parakrama Bahu, and were permitted to build a fort in Colombo.

Although the Portuguese were primarily interested in exploring trade and commercial opportunities in Sri Lanka, an opening for greater exploitation presented itself in the form of seven warring kingdoms within the island. With time, the kingdom of Kotte began to depend heavily on the Portuguese for defense against the other kingdoms, leading to an  enhanced role for the Portuguese in Sri Lankan affairs.

An agreement in 1543 between King Buvenaka Bahu of the kingdom of Kotte and the Portuguese resulted in his grandson Prince Dharmapala being educated in the Franciscan order of the Roman Catholic Church. The conversion of Dharmapala heralded sweeping changes in Sri Lanka’s social landscape, as the Portuguese embarked on a mission to convert the local populace.

Sri Lankans in the western coastal areas were particularly susceptible to the changes, with conversions occurring en masse,  but conversions occurred interior and in the northernmost parts of the island as well. As Portuguese culture permeated the island, Sri Lankan Tamils and Sinhalese took on many Portuguese names as their own, suffixed to their personal names.

 

“Wally Bastianz and Chorus Baila” by Prof Shihan De Silva Jayasuriya (Sri Lankan Literary Society, ZOOM No:92)

We like to share Profesor Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya’s presentation on “Wally Bastianz and Chorus Baila” given online for the Sri Lankan Literary Society

Profesor Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya presents the history of chorus baila through the life of the composer – Wally Bastianz. Evolving at a euphoric moment in Sri Lankan history, independence after three successive waves of European colonisation, chorus baila gave Sri Lankans a new post-colonial identity. Important messages to the newly independent nation are engrained in the poetry of chorus baila. A selection of Baila was broadcast

source: Sri Lankan Literary Association Youtube Channel

“A slice of Africa in Puttalam” by Dishan Joseph (Daily News)

We would like to share a link to read an article written by Dishan Joseph for Daily News on “A slice of Africa in Puttalam: The culture of African–Sri Lankan people is on the verge of vanishing”

Most Sri Lankans in Colombo city would have caught a glimpse of robust women, of African descent dancing to pulsating drumbeats. We have applauded the performances of the African Manja group. But have we truly understood their origins, displacement and hardships hidden behind their smiles. I firmly believe that after their generations have lived here for 500 years, they too are very much Sri Lankan

source: Daily News

“Spreading the word of Sri Lankan Portuguese Creole” By Shannine Daniel (The Sunday Times)

   

source: Preserved from 1819: A dictionary of Sri Lankan Portuguese, Sinhala and English published by the Colombo Wesleyan Press

We would like to share a link to read an article written by Shannine Daniel in The Sunday Times on “Spreading the word of Sri Lankan Portuguese Creole“.

Dr Hugo Cardoso, a linguist from the University of Lisbon and his team who have been researching this historical language spoken in the East of Sri Lanka have now taken to social media to preserve this fast fading heritage.

Trinco resident Vyvonne Joseph,  grew up speaking Sri Lankan Portuguese Creole (SLPC) with her parents, younger sister and younger brother. Even though their use of SLPC is somewhat limited as it is only spoken at home and with extended family, Vyvonne says that even their Tamil neighbours have picked up a little SLPC over the years, and speak it to them.

Source: The Sunday Times