February 17, 2021 · 7:38 am

Split in Black Lives Matter Protest Movement?

VISIT https://leftoutmag.com/2021/02/04/breaking/

Today Black Lives Matter Inland Empire announced its departure from the Black Lives Matter Global Network, highlighting several grievances, and perhaps, calling attention to the need for movement leaders and members of movement organizations to have broader conversations of transparency, Collective organizing and accountability. The following is a statement from Black Lives Matter Inland Empire.

Ethiopia Berta, an activist and educator who has been fighting for a change for many years, marches in Washington, D.C., on June 6. Last year she worked to keep Democracy Prep Public Charter School in southeast Washington, D.C., from closing…. Pix by Dee Dwyer

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, communal relations, cultural transmission, discrimination, disparagement, ethnicity, European history, heritage, historical interpretation, human rights, landscape wondrous, life stories, the imaginary and the real, unusual people, violence of language, world events & processes

February 17, 2021 · 5:26 am

Galle: Four Hundred Years Ago

Chandra R. De Silva

The political and military history of the port city of Galle, located on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka, is well documented. This brief report is merely an effort to fill in a gap in the records relating to the history of this port in the half century between the 1580s and the 1630s.

The popular belief is that the name of the settlement comes from the Sinhala word Gaalla or cattle pen, but in his description of Galle in the Saragossa manuscript probably finalized in the 1630s Constantino de Sa de Miranda suggests that the name comes from the word Gal (stone) (Flores p. 130) of which there was plenty around Galle harbor. The Portuguese historian de Queyroz (p. 31), writing in the late seventeenth century, also suggests that the name comes from the word Gal (stone) or Galgue (stone house).

Continue reading →

5 Comments

Filed under architects & architecture, centre-periphery relations, commoditification, cultural transmission, economic processes, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, military expenditure, politIcal discourse, Portuguese in Indian Ocean, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, transport and communications, travelogue, unusual people, war reportage, world events & processes

February 15, 2021 · 1:43 pm

Reverting to Ruhunu, Maya and Pihiti as a Rational Scheme for Sustainable Regional Governance?

 C.M. Madduma Bandara**

Some Past Attempts: Since [securing] National Independence in 1948, there [have been] three Constitutions (including the present) that governed this Country. The First was the Soulbury (/Jennings) Constitution that lasted for less than 15 years, and then the Republican Constitution of 1972 during the regime of Prime Minister Sirimao Bandaranaike that had a similar life span until it was superseded by the present Constitution enacted during the early regime of President JR JayEwardena. The last one, despite numerous amendments from time to time, [has been in force for] nearly 40 years, despite the fact that it was referred to as “Bahubhhootha Vyawasthawa” (nonsensical or mad constitution) by President Chandrika Bandaranaike. However, the number of amendments effected over the years indicated that all was not well during its life span. It also perhaps reflects a general belief among the past politicians that the problem is with the dancing floor rather than with the dancer!.

Continue reading →

3 Comments

Filed under accountability, ancient civilisations, communal relations, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, landscape wondrous, politIcal discourse, power politics, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, transport and communications, world events & processes

February 14, 2021 · 1:53 pm

Snippets on the Fort of Galle … and Ashley’s Dire Warnings

A Question from one Sanjay Gunawardena, 12 February 2021:

“Thank you for this great article Dr Roberts.[i] Has anyone got a picture or a painting of the Old Windmill which has been in the Galle Fort. This has been mentioned E.F.C Ludowyk’s book Long Afternoons in Colonial Ceylon. If you can please share an image, it will be much appreciated. Thank you.

A Response from Hemantha Situge: “Lyn Ludo says the windmill was one of the five landmarks that crowned the Fort. It was erected during British times. I have seen two photographs which I have not copied.”[ii]

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, ancient civilisations, architects & architecture, British colonialism, cultural transmission, education, ethnicity, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, landscape wondrous, legal issues, life stories, modernity & modernization, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, taking the piss, tourism, travelogue, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes

February 14, 2021 · 6:52 am

Amity transcending Faiths and Nationalities: At Haputale and Canberra

Somasiri Skandakumar in Haputale

Rev Rahula, who once headed the Khemba Buddhist Vihara in Canberra during my tenure as High Commissioner, honoured me with a visit to  Haputale accompanied by his superior who  heads thirteen temples in various parts of the Island !

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, Buddhism, charitable outreach, heritage, landscape wondrous, life stories, meditations, patriotism, pilgrimages, politIcal discourse, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, tolerance, travelogue, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes

February 13, 2021 · 1:27 pm

The Old Lighthouse within the Fort of Galle … and More

Michael Roberts

My recent presentation of amateur photographs of the renovations that were being carried out on the Galle ramparts in July-August 2020 encouraged some comments from Bunchy Rahuman and Ashley de Vos amongst others, with the latter objecting strongly to what he terms “the gentrification” of the Galle Fort.[1] That important issue will be taken up soon in Thuppahi; but the exchange has generated a striking photograph of the “old light house” sited on the bastion.at the south-west corner of the Fort — courtesy of Bunchy.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, ancient civilisations, architects & architecture, British colonialism, cultural transmission, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, meditations, photography, rehabilitation, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes

February 11, 2021 · 9:51 am

Renovations and Pavings for Galle Fort Ramparts Today July 2020

Amateur Snaps from Michael Roberts

Western Wall southern end

Continue reading →

5 Comments

Filed under accountability, architects & architecture, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, photography, rehabilitation, sri lankan society, tourism, travelogue

February 10, 2021 · 1:48 pm

The LANKA COURIER takes off …

https://www.lankacourier.com/

Sri Lanka’s Neutral Foreign Policy

LANKA COURIER   FEB 08, 2021

 The following article has been adapted from the address by the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the general debate of the 75th Session of the United…

Features  ….. Foreign Relations of Sri Lanka

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, education, electoral structures, female empowerment, foreign policy, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, patriotism, politIcal discourse, power politics, press freedom, propaganda, Rajapaksa regime, reconciliation, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, Tamil migration, the imaginary and the real, tourism, transport and communications, welfare & philanthophy, women in ethnic conflcits, working class conditions, world events & processes

February 9, 2021 · 8:32 am

Servitude in Lanka: “Boi Kollo” in Middle Class Households

Elmo Jayawardena, in The Island, 1 February 2021, where the chosen title is “Boi Kollo –An Almost Forgotten Tragedy”

He first went to work at the very tender age of six, just a little kid, that much Yoga re-called. He had attended a village school for two days and quit – said he could not understand anything the teacher taught. That was good enough a reason for Yoga to obliterate any form of education from his entire life and become illiterate. They lived in the Southerland Estate, a remnant of the British Colonial system.   Estate labourers’ ‘line-shacks’ had limited room for the family. The little boy was an inconvenience that needed to be sorted out. Of course, he was an ill-affordable extra mouth to feed in the already over-crowded one-roomed hovel they called home. That is how Yoga left his Southerland Mansion to commence his lifetime career of servitude as a Boi Kolla (BK) to run and fetch at the beck and call of whoever gave him a meal and shelter.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, economic processes, education, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, human rights, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, self-reflexivity, social justice, sri lankan society, unusual people, working class conditions, world events & processes

February 8, 2021 · 2:41 pm

Trauma and Joy in Cricket …. and Abusive Lankan Aussies

Ajit Jayasekera — Email Memo to Michael Roberts, 15 February 2021

When we went to Australia for the Tri Nations tournament with England and Australia in December 2002/January 2003, the team was captained by Sanath Jayasuriya and the Coach was Dav Whatmore. We were after a rather disastrous tour of South Africa, where we were roundly beaten in both formats of the game and started this tournament in similar disastrous manner getting smashed by both England and Australia in the opening games.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, atrocities, disparagement, ethnicity, fundamentalism, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, patriotism, performance, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, taking the piss, trauma, travelogue, truth as casualty of war, violence of language, world events & processes, zealotry