Episode 12 – Colombo


Episode 12 – Colombo © Grafik: © Šejma Fere Episode 12 – Colombo Grafik: © Šejma Fere
A podcast by Isuru Kumarasinghe and Devana Senanayake

Featuring:
King Ratnam
Anu Madhubhashinie
Dinupa Kodagoda
Ajith Kumarasiri
Namini Panchala ​​​​​​​
 

Aragalaya: Inside the People’s Struggle in Colombo

Episode 12 of the Timezones podcast series, co-initiated and co-produced by Norient and the Goethe-Institut. This episode explores the creation of art during the political struggle that has shaped Sri Lanka and its capital Colombo since the start of 2022. Sound artist Isuru Kumarasinghe and journalist Devana Senanayake share the perspective of artists and musicians who either lived permanently or temporarily around the Gota Go Gama camp, one of the central sites of the protest.

Since the start of 2022, Sri Lanka has been experiencing an economic crisis sparked by a lack of fuel and gas, electricity cuts, skyrocketing prices of food staples, and shortages of medicine. As the conditions worsened, quiet candle-lit vigils rose up around the country and they soon exploded into a series of larger, roadside protests.

In April 2022, a protest outside the president’s house in Mirihana, one of Colombo’s suburbs, led to the arrest of protestors, a declaration of a “state of emergency”, and a social media ban. In response, protests proliferated throughout the country.

Protestors had multiple demands but the main one asked for the resignation of the president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Chants that included the president’s nickname, Gota, such as “Go Home Gota”, could be heard at the protests. People set up a camp that included medical tents, ambulances, food, a library, and an art center – all for free – in Colombo’s oceanside urban park, Galle Face Green. They named this site Gota Go Gama (Gota Go Village). During the protests, several other protest villages popped up in urban areas around the country. 

Despite an attack on May 9, 2022 by a pro-state mob, arrest of protestors, and consistent disinformation, protestors achieved many things – the resignation of several Rajapaksa family members from the Cabinet, the resignation of prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and even the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa on July 9. After an early morning attack by police and the army on July 21, protestors received an order to leave Gota Go Gama on August 12. All of them followed this order and vacated the premises.
 


Bonus Material


A Deeper Look into the Aragalaya (Struggle)
moderated by Janik Sittampalam, produced by Zainamb Wahid

In this bonus episode, we speak to Devana Senanayake and Isuru Kumarasinghe, the producers of the Colombo Timezones episode on the protest music of the Aragalaya. The economic and political crisis has affected us all here in Sri Lanka, and we talk about living as artists during this tumultuous time. In these past few months, we have witnessed a cultural revolution in addition to the political one, and Devana and Isuru reflect on the process of documenting and capturing the spirit of the protest. We compare this modern movement to the radical movements of Sri Lanka’s past, and how the work we do today might shape how people think of this time in the years to come.
 

Janik Sittampalam © © private Janik Sittampalam © private
Janik Sittampalam is a writer and journalist based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He mainly writes about history, culture, and philosophy, seeking the deeper connections lurking beneath the everyday. He also enjoys acting, both on and off stage.

Zainamb Wahid © © private Zainamb Wahid © private
Zainamb Wahid has studied at the SAE (School of Audio Engineering) Institute in Singapore. She has several years of experience as a radio producer and audio engineer, and has been employed in YES 101 and Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). She is also a musician in the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka and the Gustav Mahler Society, and conducts violin and piano lessons privately. Follow her on Facebook.

Credits

Credits:

Artistic Editor: Abhishek Matur
Project Management: Hannes Liechti
Video Trailer: Emma Nzioka
Jingle Voiceover: Nana Akosua Hanson
Jingle Mix: Daniel Jakob
Mastering: Adi Flück, Centraldubs
Artwork: Šejma Fere


This episode is supported by:



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