Culture & Community

Culture & Community

Latest news from and about the homeland

The students and staff of Burlington Junior and Infant School in New Malden, UK, celebrated Thai Pongal, marking the first time it has been observed in a British school with its school students.  Thai Pongal is an ancient, secular Tail festival that gives thanks to the sun and for the harvest.  On January 14, pongal was cooked in the school playground which was decorated with…

Tamil Nadu students forge resolution on Sri Lanka

Student addresses the first international Tamil youth conference in Tamil Nadu

Tamils mark the passing of Sunila Abeysekara, aged 61

Sunila Abeysekara, an internationally respected Sri Lankan human rights activist died on Monday aged 61 from cancer.



An outspoken figure amongst her colleagues in Sri Lanka, she was deeply respected by a number of international figures and Tamils for fearlessly raising the issue of human rights abuses committed against Tamils at the end of the armed conflict.

She eventually fled to live in exile in the Netherlands, after the Sri Lankan state owned media site called her a traitor for her endorsement of the 2012 UN Human Rights Council resolution calling for reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka.

She was also an ardent advocate for women's rights in South Asia as well as that of sex workers and homosexuals and transgender people.

In the days following her death on September 9th, a number of Tamil activists and organisations paid tribute to her work.

No Fire Zone premieres in London

The  multi-award nominee, No Fire Zone:The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka documentary premiered in the UK today, with its  first official screening taking place in Soho, London.


The documentary, outlines what happened to the 400,000 Tamil civilians that were trapped in the government designated 'no fire zone' and then subjected to relentless and sustained shelling, resulting in, what the UN estimates to be, the death of over 70,000 civilians.

The film was screened to a fully packed audience, consisting of several human rights activists, journalists and lawyers,  at the Curzon in Soho.

British University students remember Black July

British University Tamil Societies across London collaborated to hold a Black July remembrance discussion session at the London School of Economics on Monday.

Arappor' documentary launched in Chennai

A film docmenting the wave of student protests that swept across Tamil Nadu was released in Chennai on Sunday, as a packed out crowd gathered to watch its first public screening.

Memories beneath the surface.. #BlackJuly 1983



Although thirty years have passed since the anti-Tamil pogrom of 'Black July' 1983, stories of the thousands of Tamil victims are yet to be unraveled.

The thousands that fled, many not to return for years and decades to come, all too often buried their painful memories as they struggled to make a new life for themselves in new lands as refugees.

Silenced Voices by www.blackjuly1983.com is a noteworthy archive. Yet it is striking that thousands of individual stories, of the many ordinary Tamils, remain unheard.

Thirty years on, these stories are starting to trickle out - even then, not from the victims themselves, but from their friends and loved ones, and most of all, their children and grandchildren.

As the Tamil nation marks this poignant anniversary, we have endeavoured to collate the small snippets of the nation's memories, that have been shared with the world via social media sites.

Despite the time that has passed however, there is little doubt that the personal anguish remains. Whilst those that shared their families' memories were keen for the stories to be heard, many we approached asked that they remain anonymous, out of respect for the deep privacy of their parents and grandparents in relation to their own experiences of Black July.


*Names changed on request, to protect victim's privacy.

Gajan* @Gajan98*, UK :
My parents refuse to talk about the details. But someone warned them, and they fled. When they returned, there was nothing.. #BlackJuly


Selvan Ratnarajah*, Australia:
"30 years ago this day my dad was dragged out of his car in the heart of Colombo whilst a government-incited mob baying for Tamil blood attempted to pour kerosene on him and set him alight. 3 months after the July 1983 pogrom which left up to 3000 Tamils dead and 150,000 homeless, the entire Rajasingham* / Ratnarajah* clan had left Sri Lanka forever and 3 years later I was born in Sydney – still very much a Tamil but an Australian. And that has made all the difference."

Calls From Back Home: Telling the Stories of the War Diaspora

First published in The Aerogram on 17th July 2013. See here for original article. Text reproduced in full below.

Tamil Eelam team departs from 'unforgettable' tournament

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Karumpuli Naal marked in Canada

 

 

 
Photographs Tamil Guardian

Canadian Tamils came together on Friday July 5th to mark Karumpuli Naal remembering the lives of the elite LTTE force - the Black Tigers.

 

Tamil Eelam celebrate 3rd place finish after stunning 5-0 victory

Tamil Eelam secured 3rd place at the Tynwald Hill International football tournament in a rampant 5-0 victory against Raetia.

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