Interviews on remembering Black July, the anti-Tamil pogrom, in 1983.

Remembering {Black July 83}

Remembering 'Roshen Chanaka' | By Jayathilaka Bandara

Remembering Sivaram | By Jayathilaka Bandara

Episode 2 of Brown Bag, a podcast on social media, politics and society from a Global South perspective, hosted by ICT4Peace Foundation's Special Advisor Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa.

In this episode, Hattotuwa speaks with Meenakshi Ganguli, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

This production of this podcast series is supported by the Daniel Gablinger Foundation.

Brown Bag Episode 2: Meenakshi Ganguly

Episode 3 of Brown Bag, a podcast on social media, politics and society from a Global South perspective, hosted by ICT4Peace Foundation's Special Advisor Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa.

In this episode, Hattotuwa speaks with Vidhya Ramalingam, Founder and CEO of Moonshot.

This production of this podcast series is supported by the Daniel Gablinger Foundation.

Brown Bag Episode 3: Vidhya Ramalingam

Episode 4 of Brown Bag, a podcast on social media, politics and society from a Global South perspective, hosted by ICT4Peace Foundation's Special Advisor Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa.

In this episode, Hattotuwa speaks with David Shanks, former Chief Censor of New Zealand. 

This production of this podcast series is supported by the Daniel Gablinger Foundation.

Brown Bag Episode 4: David Shanks

Episode 7 of Brown Bag, a podcast on social media, politics and society from a Global South perspective, hosted by ICT4Peace Foundation's Special Advisor Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa.

In this episode, Hattotuwa speaks with Elina Noor who is presently Director, Political-Security Affairs and Deputy Director, Washington, D.C., and also a Senior Advisor and a member of the ICT4Peace Foundation's International Advisory Board.

This production of this podcast series is supported by the Daniel Gablinger Foundation.

Brown Bag Episode 2: Elina Noor

Recording of a lecture on 6 March 2023 over a Twitter Space, moderated by Priyanga Hettiarachi, on study of Sri Lanka's Aragalaya over 2022.

Sri Lanka's 2022 Aragalaya studied through social media lenses

Recording of Q&A session of lecture on 6 March 2023 over a Twitter Space, moderated by Priyanga Hettiarachi, on study of Sri Lanka's Aragalaya over 2022.

Q&A Session: Sri Lanka's 2022 Aragalaya studied through social media lenses

Sinhala and English featured on Dominos Pizza hotline, but no Tamil. 

Domino's Pizza hotline

In this thought-provoking episode of the ICT4Peace Foundation's Digital Distortions podcast, the second in the series, host Dr. Sanjana Hattotuwa engages in a wide-ranging conversation with Assistant Professor Karsten Donnay from the University of Zurich about the complex challenges posed by the rapid digitalisation of politics and society.

Professor Donnay shares insights from his research on how digital platforms are changing political behaviour, news consumption, and perceptions of reality. The discussion delves into the lack of understanding and action from policymakers, particularly in Switzerland, regarding pressing issues like misinformation, hate speech, and the impacts of generative AI.

Donnay, and Hattotuwa also examine the potential dangers of social media fragmenting into smaller, more ideologically homogeneous platforms, and the increasing barriers researchers face in studying these phenomena as companies restrict data access. They reflect on how the nature of online discourse seems to have deteriorated since the COVID-19 pandemic and the worrying trend of people losing interest in objective truth in favour of simpler explanations.

Throughout the conversation, Dr. Hattotuwa and Professor Donnay grapple with the difficulty of finding solutions to these complex problems, but emphasise the importance of promoting a nuanced understanding of the world in the face of simplistic narratives. 

This episode offers a fascinating window into some of the most critical challenges we face in the digital age.

Karsten Donnay on politics, technology, and negotiating complexity

This podcast features an in-depth conversation with the award-winning journalist Marie-Astrid Langer, who is the US correspondent for the venerable Swiss newspaper, Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ). First published as the Zürcher Zeitung (Zurich Journal) in January 1780, the newspaper was renamed as the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, or the NZZ for short, in 1821. It has been published without interruption since, making the NZZ the oldest newspaper in Switzerland and one of the oldest continuously published newspapers in the world. Langer has an MBA from University of Tübingen, and is alumna of the Henri-Nannen-Journalism School. Her beat involves reporting all technology related news, and developments in the US.

Digital Distortions

Digital Distortions: Marie-Astrid Langer on reporting technology, and life in Silicon Valley

This podcast features an in-depth conversation with Sophie Achermann studies public discourse online. She is the co-founder, and managing director of the Public Discourse Foundation, a Swiss-based foundation that aims to research and strengthen public discourse on the Internet.

Sophie Achermann on online harms, and gendered violence on social media

Iromi Perera is a Senior Researcher who heads Social Indicator, the survey research arm of the Centre for Policy Alternatives.
www.cpalanka.org 

Iromi Perera on the completion of 100 days in government

Selvaraj Rajasegar is the editor of the citizen journalism initiative 'Maatram'. 

www.maatram.org

Selvaraj Rajasegar on the completion of 100 days in government

Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu is the founder Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives. 

www.cpalanka.org

Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu on the completion of 100 days in government

ElevenLabs generative AI voice technology based capture of some of the main points in the Helen Clark Foundation's 2025 Social Cohesion in New Zealand report. 

Social Cohesion in New Zealand: Helen Clark Foundation

ElevenLabs generative voice AI based presentation of an in-depth article on the 2025 Acumen Edelman Barometer by Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa. 

Trust in freefall: What 2025 Acumen Edelman Barometer reveals about New Zealand’s future

This excerpt from Vikalpa, titled "#May18sl “මුල්ලිවෛක්කාල්: සත්‍යයේ ආලෝකය තුළින්, යුක්තියේ බලාපොරොත්තුව සහිත මතකයන්! (Photos) සම්පත් සමරකෝන් විසිනි – Vikalpa”, discusses the ongoing struggle for truth and justice sixteen years after the official end of the war in Sri Lanka. It highlights the remembrance ceremony held at Mullivaikkal, where thousands of Tamil people gathered to mourn their loved ones and demand accountability for loss of life, disappearances, and abductions during the conflict. The article emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the victims' experiences and cautions against attempts to erase their history, citing Howard Zinn's perspective on the injustice of silencing victims' stories. It also contrasts the lack of a just process for the events at Mullivaikkal with the Rwandan genocide's efforts towards truth and reconciliation. Finally, the piece touches upon the persistent issue of land disputes and argues that achieving lasting peace requires respecting the Tamil people's rights and addressing their political aspirations based on truth and justice. 

Audio Overview Generate by: NotebookLM | Original Article in Sinhala and Photos https://www.vikalpa.org/article/44778

Mullivaikkal

Mullivaikkal_ Seeking Truth and Justice

This Vikalpa article discusses a Mullivaikkal commemoration event held in Negombo(24May), Sri Lanka, which faced disruption from Sinhala nationalist/Racist groups like "Sinhala Ravaya." The author highlights the importance of remembering the events of 2009(May) at Mullivaikkal, described as a dark and bloody chapter in the country's history, and emphasizes the suffering and historical discrimination faced by the Tamil people. The article(Sinhala) asserts that commemoration ceremonies serve as a vital platform for seeking justice, upholding Tamil identity and dignity, and combating the destructive forces of nationalism. It notes that the Negombo event, organized by the Christian Solidarity Movement(CSM) and attended by religious figures and activists, successfully concluded despite the opposition, demonstrating resilience against rising nationalism. The piece also calls for establishing a new constitution that acknowledges the right to self-determination and builds a just and equal society. Ultimately, the author argues that the ongoing presence of nationalist sentiment, evident in the attempts to obstruct such events, underscores the critical need to fight against this divisive force that hinders the creation of a fair and equitable society.

*Audio Overview generate by NotebookLM

Originala Article in SInhala: https://www.vikalpa.org/article/44822 

Disruption of the ‘Mullivaikkal Remembrance’ event held in Negombo! (Rising nationalism must be defeated.)

AUDIO OVERVIEW in ENGLISH 
Generate by: NotebookLM ( Based on Sinhala Article by Sampath Samarakoon - https://www.vikalpa.org/article/44885 

This Sri Lankan source, an article from Vikalpa by Sampath Samarakoon, details the 1981 burning of the Jaffna Public Library, an event referred to as an "intellectual sanctuary" and a profound attack on the Tamil people's intellectual and cultural heritage. It highlights the historical and cultural significance of the library, tracing its origins and growth into a repository of rare books and a center for intellectual development. The article argues that the destruction was not merely arson but a deliberate act fueled by racial politics and state policies aimed at marginalizing the Tamil community. While the library has been rebuilt, the source underscores that the intellectual and cultural loss is irreparable, and the perpetrators remain unpunished, leaving a deep wound and unresolved questions about justice and reconciliation for the Tamil people.

Jaffna Library Burning_44 Years of Impunity

Audio Overview(English): Generate by NotebookLM ( Based on Sinhala Article: https://www.vikalpa.org/article/44889 BY Sampath Samarakoon 

[The HRCSL also recommended that the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security pay 200,000 rupees (LKR 2 lakhs) as compensation for the injustice caused to Rushdi]

This Sri Lankan article from Vikalpa, written by Sampath Samarakoon, critiques the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), describing it as a tool for human rights violations. The piece focuses on the case of Mohammed Rushdi, a young man arrested under the PTA for displaying an "F*** Israel" sticker, an act deemed by authorities as inciting terrorism. The article highlights how Rushdi's human rights were violated and how the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (HRCSL) recommended compensation for the injustice he suffered. It further questions the current government's commitment to abolishing the PTA, despite earlier promises, emphasizing the need for its repeal to prevent future abuses of power and protect fundamental freedoms.



Colombo 

[Mohamed Rushdi] Branding a Young Man a Terrorist Victim (Under the Pretext of National Security): Can a Victim of the PTA Reclaim His Life?

[Audio Overview - Generate by NotebookLM]

Original Sinhala Article: https://www.vikalpa.org/article/44977

The source(vikalpa.org - Sinhala Article by Sampath Samarakoon) expresses significant concern regarding the abrupt cancellation of a purchase order for the 'Anidda' newspaper by a state-affiliated company in Sri Lanka, Lanka Mineral Sands Company. This action is presented not as a simple economic decision, but as a political signal indicating the National People's Power (NPP) government's intolerance for critical media content. The text suggests that this move reflects a lack of courage within the government to intellectually address criticism. Furthermore, the source draws a parallel between this event and China's media model, which ranks 172nd out of 178 countries in press freedom, raising fears that Sri Lanka's close ties with China could lead to a suppression of media independence and pluralism. The author, Sampath Samarakoon, emphasizes that economic pressure on independent media like 'Anidda' is a direct threat to media freedom and democratic values in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Media Freedom, Democracy, and Chinese Influence [Audio Overview - Generate by NotebookLM]

‘පානම ඉඩම් කොල්ලය පිටු දකිමු‘ [Media Conference, Unedited] @colombo 

‘පානම ඉඩම් කොල්ලය පිටු දකිමු‘ [Media Conference, Unedited]

Election Day Update from the CMEV Operations Centre

Election Day Podcast: Update 1 - Sinhala

Three hours before polls close, Coordinator of CMEV Manjula Gajanayake speaks on key incidents that have taken place and the overall situation at voting centers across the island.

Election Day Update 2 - Sinhala

Northern Province Coordinator speaks on the islandwide situation 3 hours before voting closes. 

Election Day Update 2 - Tamil

Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu speaks on key incidents that have occurred at polling stations and today's voter turnout. 

Election Day Update 2 - English

Should sites of violence have new lives and under transformation or remain a memorial to the crimes committed there? How should we remember the violence of the state? Is some violence more important than others, and how do these scales translate across communities, spaces, over time? How do we select what to forget or erase, with as much importance as choosing what to remember? How can memorialisation be true to the act it seeks to recall and also be relevant to changing context, time, audience, reception and reaction? Can sites of violence be shifted geo-spatially, or migrated to representation through virtual artefacts even as the physical evidence is erased? Is reconciliation possible without memory, or does memory feed into communal hagiography, impeding collective, shared narratives? How should digital cultures embrace the politics of memorialisation? What role can a divided mainstream media, supported by risk averse corporate advertising, really play in memorialising and interrogating the inconvenient? 

Through this exhibition, insightful and evocative Artraker artwork from Syria, Myanmar, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries will be juxtaposed with carefully curated art from Sri Lanka, coupled with a theatrical production that interrogates space. ‘Watch this space: Framing the past, untying the future’ is an attempt to use art that results from, reflects upon or responds to violence as a platform to foster meaningful conversations around what kind of a future we need in Sri Lanka. 

More info at groundviews.org/2015/08/31/podcas…tying-the-future/

5. Transforming politics for transitional justice (Keynote and discussion)

4. The art of memorialisation (Panel)

2. Media and transitional justice (Panel)


Opening Night
Corridors of power: Drawing and modelling Sri Lanka’s tryst with democracy
 

6 – 9pm, 15th September 2015, JDA Perera Gallery, Horton Place, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Completely free and open to the public. No tickets or prior reservations needed. Seating limited.

Opening Night Poster

“Hope to achieve political settlement through adoption of a new constitution. Don’t judge us by broken promises of past” says Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera at UNHRC in Geneva, on 14th September 2015.

The statement today by Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister provides a wonderful frame of reference to appreciate the ‘Corridors of Power’ exhibition. From the security guards at the venue of the exhibition to international constitution building process experts who gathered in Sri Lanka recently, from students to academics and activists, ‘Corridors of Power’ even before officially opening to the public has generated more interest than any project curated by Groundviews and the Centre for Policy Alternatives previously. 

Led by the input of Asanga Welikala, in collaboration with Channa Daswatta, ‘Corridors of Power’ will through architectural drawings and models, interrogate Sri Lanka’s constitutional evolution since 1972.

The exhibition will depict Sri Lanka’s tryst with constitutional reform and essentially the tension between centre and periphery. The output on display will include large format drawings, 3D flyovers, sketches, and models reflecting the power dynamics enshrined in the the 1972 and 1978 constitutions, as well as the 13th, 18th and 19th Amendments.

To our knowledge, nothing along these lines has ever been attempted or created before.

Corridors Of Power 2015 Day 3

Podcasts on media, democracy, culture & politics.

Podcasts on media, democracy, culture & politics

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