Item in Daily FT
Jean-Marin Schuh, Ambassador of France to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, bestowed the honorary distinction of Officier de la Légion d’Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour), upon Prof. Mohan Munasinghe at the French Ambassador’s residence. The Légion d’Honneur is the first and highest national order and distinction of the French Republic, coming directly under the purview of the President of France.
Ishara Jayawardane in Daily News, 12 October 2017, where the title is “Magnificent historical haven”
Located at Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha the National Museum is a majestic construction that is a familiar site to those in Colombo. With a long history, it is one of the most famous of the old Colonial buildings in the country. The Daily News spoke to Archt. Ismeth Raheem on the National Museum where he shared some known insights of the construction of the National Museum.
AAP-SBS News, October 2017, where the title is “Albert Namatjira’s copyright deal: Rewriting a historical wrong”
An injustice has been righted more than 30 years on with the family and clan of famed Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira recovering the copyright to his work. A 15-minute phone call and the princely sum of $1 have resolved what has been the country’s longest copyright battle for the rights to the works of Aboriginal painter Albert Namatjira. It is a victory for his family and clan who have been denied any rights or revenue from his work for more than 30 years, The Weekend Australian reported.
Namatjira, an Arrernte man from Central Australia, is recognised as Australia’s greatest indigenous painter and the first to work in the western tradition. He is best known for his watercolour paintings of the outback and created about 2000 artworks during his life.
**FILE** A Oct 19 2006 file photo of Albert Namatjira’s first painting is displayed at a Sotheby’s preview in Sydney. The auction of the Aboriginal art including Albert Namatjira’s first painting will be on in Melbourne today, Tuesday Oct. 31, 2006. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) NO ARCHIVING
SEE …. LISTEN …. Paderewski and Hoover = https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/15f128b9d5a2dac2?projector=1
Ignacy Jan Paderewski, (born Nov. 6, 1860, Kuryłówka, Podolia province in Russian Poland—died June 29, 1941, New York, N.Y., U.S.), Polish pianist, composer, and statesman, who was prime minister of Poland in 1919… https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ignacy-Jan-Paderewski
Sajeeva Samaranayake presents his considered thoughts on the discussions associated with Geedreck Usvatte-Aratchi’s National Trust talk on “Sinhala Attitudes to Knowledge” – which appeared in the Island as well as Thuppahi in August 2017. Emphasis in blue is that of The Editor, Thuppahi; but the black highlights are the author’s.
In the following note I am setting out the findings of Dr. Usvatte Arachchi, my comments thereon and some questions that arise. This is to help move this discussion forward as it appears to be a very critical inquiry into our collective capacity as a Sinhalese speech community.
Samaranayake 
Usvatte-Aratchci
Filed under British colonialism, Buddhism, centre-periphery relations, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, evolution of languages(s), governance, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian traditions, island economy, language policies, life stories, literary achievements, politIcal discourse, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, world events & processes
Mantovan 
Ambos
The Newsletter of the International Institute of Asian Studies at Leiden reveals the interests of two recent Fellows at IIAS who have been delving into Sri Lankan issues in recent times. Herewith some summaries
Giacomo Mantovan is of Italian lineage:
“My research in social anthropology, which focuses on individuals and their relations with their social milieu, and in particular with state authorities, aims to grasp how certain critical times, such as civil war, exile, and illness, become moments of construction of subjectivity and memory.” Continue reading
Filed under cultural transmission, education, governance, historical interpretation, island economy, life stories, LTTE, modernity & modernization, politIcal discourse, power politics, prabhakaran, Rajapaksa regime, rehabilitation, religiosity, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil migration, tamil refugees, Tamil Tiger fighters, unusual people, vengeance, war reportage, world events & processes
Stephen Labrooy
Ravi Velloor’s article in THUPPAHI drew a private comment from Stephen Labrooy in Sri Lanka which is food for thought in itself, but carries particular value because it comes from Sri Lankan Burgher of some seniority[1] who has travelled abroad and presently serves as President of the Dutch Burgher Union. I have queries on several points and raised just two hurriedly (see below); but the “memorandum” has useful ethnographic information, while running several inter-related arguments. Hence its airing here.
Filed under British colonialism, Buddhism, communal relations, disparagement, economic processes, historical interpretation, human rights, life stories, Muslims in Lanka, politIcal discourse, power politics, religious nationalism, riots and pogroms, security, sri lankan society, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, trauma, unusual people, vengeance, world events & processes, zealotry
Down the way where the nights are gay
And the sun shines daily on the mountain top
I took a trip on a sailing ship
And when I reached Australia I made a stop
Nur Yalman, courtesy of Colombo Telegraph, where the title runs “Islam, Extremism & Hypocrisy” … highlighting emphasis is that of th Editor, Thuppahi
Suicide attacks in beloved Barcelona. We are once again left aghast at the cruelty of an entire group of malevolent people. These evil acts should have no place in civilized existence. Where do they come from? What is their purpose? What is to be done? First of all we must note that these murders are part of a “Death Cult” associated with the profound radicalism deriving from an unusual Wahhabi version of Islam.
Filed under accountability, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, american imperialism, arab regimes, authoritarian regimes, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, disparagement, foreign policy, fundamentalism, historical interpretation, Islamic fundamentalism, jihad, life stories, LTTE, Middle Eastern Politics, military strategy, nationalism, politIcal discourse, power politics, security, self-reflexivity, world events & processes
thuppahi
