My Lanka takes a unique look at cultural impostor syndrome through the eyes of filmmaker Heather Dirckze as she explores her Sri Lankan heritage. Heather grew up in Canada, with little influence of Sri Lankan culture in her life, leaving her wondering what it means to be South Asian and if she even identifies as Sri Lankan. In this warm and personal documentary series, Heather embarks upon a journey to Sri Lanka to experience its rich history and traditions, tracing her family back several centuries and visiting key sites. The journey follows three important aspects: identity, culture, and family. Throughout the series, Heather learns from different people what it means to have a cultural identity, and the multifaceted nature of identifying with a certain culture. She navigates Sri Lankan culture by trying to cook curries and roti, learning Kandyan dance, and experiencing everyday life on the island. She connects with family though discovering her family tree, and meeting with members
OLD PERADENIYA By Ernest Macintyre INTRODUCTION The Mahaweli River, 335 long, the longest river in Lanka, has its beginning in a remote village of Nuwara-Eliya District in the central hills, and ends going into the sea at the Bay of Bengal on the east coast at Trincomalee. As it passes Kandy, the main town of […]
by ECB Wijeyasinghe When Julius Caesar said: “let me have men about me that are fat,” he must have been thinking of persons like Lionel Wendt. Wendt was half a dozen extraordinary characters rolled into one and would have delighted the heart of Caesar’s recruiting sergeant. Naturally, Wendt was a heavy man where adiposity was […]
This dessert originates from Sri Lanka as a result of Dutch colonial influence. It is still a traditional holiday cake among Dutch Burghers, an ethnic group in Sri Lanka