“Walk Like An Elephant” …. Being Laleen Jayamanne’s Engagement with the “Aragalaya”

These are 22 essays written by Laleen Jayamanne during the time of the Aragalaya/Struggle/Paroattam in 2022 and in the aftermath. These writings  work at the intersection of art and politics within the context of Sinhala Buddhist Ethno-Nationalism as it affected the Arts and Fine Arts Education policy since 1958. I use theoretical and philosophical ideas from Critical Theory familiar to left intellectuals at least since May ’68 in Paris. It is written for a Lankan Left intelligentsia; but as its for a daily paper I have crafted an accessible prose.

Its got a preface by Prabath Sahabandu, Editor of The Island and a logn theoretical piece by Prof Sumathy Sivamohan and the Foreword is by Prof Sarath Chandrajeeva who was a VC of the Uni of Visual and Performing Arts, and a bronze sculptor and potter and painter.

* https://www.wmm.com/filmmaker/Laleen+Jayamanne/

* https://lankanewsweb.net/archives/37178/aragalaya-peoples-protest-that-ousted-a-sri-lankan-head-of-state-marks-01-year/

* https://elijah-hoole.medium.com/the-aragalaya-a-sceptics-notes-bc77cb2f2ed4