Randika Jayakody & Jerome Perera Archives

Contradictions in the Sri Lankan Society – By Randika Jayakody & Jerome Perera Contradictions are rife within Sri Lankan society. Sri Lanka has an indigenous population that is over 48,000 years old with a wealth of knowledge and history, yet the nation’s origin stories focus on the much younger Sinhalese civilisation. Sri Lanka is home to the majestic Sri Lankan elephant, but the nation often represents itself with references to a lion, an animal that has never lived on our islands. Millennia of multicultural interactions with South India, Rome, Greece, Europe, Africa, Middle East, the Far East, and Austronesia and the tens of ethnic groups that settled our islands is ignored and discounted. Instead ethnic purity has dominated the mindset of society for decades leading to ethnic conflicts and societal disintegration and instability. We consume potatoes, corn, tomatoes, chillies, papayas, smoke tobacco brought to us from the Americas by the ...

Baila: A Sri Lankan Folk Music – By Randika Jayakody & Jerome Perera source : Qld Sri Lankan Newsletter – Dæhæna – November 2023 Baila was the fortuitous creation bringing together the multicultural communities that existed during the time of Portuguese Ceylon. It famously combined the influences of Afro Rhythms, Portuguese violins and guitars, Malay drums, and the Sinhalese, Tamil, and English languages. Evolving out of Kaffringha, the progenitor of Baila, this musical genre is iconic of Sri Lankan culture. Portuguese arrival in Ceilao (Ceylon) is dated to 1505 and no clear date can be identified when the musical style evolved, but it is safe to say that this means Baila is therefore at least 500 years old.This makes Baila one of the oldest continuous musical styles in Sri Lanka, predating more classical styles of music by centuries. There are several forms of Baila including Papare and Calypso Baila, Waada Baila ...