The image above is the face of a man who is a descendant of some the earliest inhabitants of Sri Lanka. They are called 'Veddas', but this author prefers the term 'adi vaasi', which means 'original people'. The full photo and credit is below. Note the Afrikan features, including the hair, which was combed using coconut oil.
Afrikans in Goods Shed: A Community
In the original narrative posted on this website, I noted that a few families lived in a section of Puttalam known as “Good Shed”. (Originally the name was ‘Goods Shed’, the place where the ‘goods’ used to build the railroad up the western coast, were stored.) I then concluded that they did not constitute a distinct community. I have reversed my position. I have visited seven homes occupied by people of Afrikan descent there. Some are related to Afrikans in two other communities of Afrikans in the area: Sirambi Adiyaand Kalpitiya. Still are related to Afrikans who earlier came there from Kala Oya, some distance away. Many of the families are mixed- some Afrikans and some Sinhalese. But they identify as Afrikans, they celebrate as Afrikans, and they proudly proclaim their relationship with each other. The photos that follow depict many, but not all of the members of this community. Some of these photos are also to be found in the “Gallery of Photos” on this website.
Afrikans in Goods Shed: A Community
In the original narrative posted on this website, I noted that a few families lived in a section of Puttalam known as “Good Shed”. (Originally the name was ‘Goods Shed’, the place where the ‘goods’ used to build the railroad up the western coast, were stored.) I then concluded that they did not constitute a distinct community. I have reversed my position. I have visited seven homes occupied by people of Afrikan descent there. Some are related to Afrikans in two other communities of Afrikans in the area: Sirambi Adiyaand Kalpitiya. Still are related to Afrikans who earlier came there from Kala Oya, some distance away. Many of the families are mixed- some Afrikans and some Sinhalese. But they identify as Afrikans, they celebrate as Afrikans, and they proudly proclaim their relationship with each other. The photos that follow depict many, but not all of the members of this community. Some of these photos are also to be found in the “Gallery of Photos” on this website.
Afrikans in Thabbova and Kala Oya: A Scattered Community
In the original narrative, I noted that the community that lived in Kala Oya was dispersed after the Kala River flooded in 1957. A recent visit to Thabbova clarified this issue. The Sri Lankan government offered land in Thabbova to all of those who lost homes to the Kala Oya flood, including the Afrikans who lived there. Currently, about five households in Thabbova claim Afrikan heritage. When I visited, I was only able to make contact with two families. The others were either away at work locally, or were working overseas. As you can see from the two photos below, the woman has Afrikan hair and facial features, while the man does not. These families are in touch with each other, and some of them are related. The one Afrikan man who lived in Kala Oya a few years ago has left.
In the original narrative, I noted that the community that lived in Kala Oya was dispersed after the Kala River flooded in 1957. A recent visit to Thabbova clarified this issue. The Sri Lankan government offered land in Thabbova to all of those who lost homes to the Kala Oya flood, including the Afrikans who lived there. Currently, about five households in Thabbova claim Afrikan heritage. When I visited, I was only able to make contact with two families. The others were either away at work locally, or were working overseas. As you can see from the two photos below, the woman has Afrikan hair and facial features, while the man does not. These families are in touch with each other, and some of them are related. The one Afrikan man who lived in Kala Oya a few years ago has left.
Afrikans in Boosa (Bussa, Boossa): A Community or Not?
The information regarding Afrikans living in Boosa, on the western coast near the southern city of Galle, is still being gathered. While there is no oral history to confirm how they got there or why they remain identifiably Afrikan, written history offers a hypothesis. The imperial British controlled Sri Lanka from the early 1800s through the middle of the twentieth century. During the 1800s, the British built a prison camp at Boosa. It was used to house prisoners captured in South Africa during the Boer War (1899-1903). The British made a common practice of importing prison guards, domestics, and other support personnel from other colonies under their control. The theory for doing this was that these workers would be loyal to the British, and not to the prisoners (who might have been their racial enemies from South Africa), and would not be loyal to the Sri Lankans, with whom they did not share a language, a culture, or a history. This theory did not fully work as the British planned. It appears that many of these imported Afrikans married Sri Lankans, stayed in Sri Lanka, and raised families. Furthermore, the Afrikans that I have met thusfar in Boosa and Hikkaduwa, the neighboring town, are all Buddhists. This contrasts with all the other Afrikans I have met in Sri Lanka, who are either Catholic, or, in one case, Muslim. These Afrikans must have blended into the culture of Boosa, though they retain their Afrikan hair and facial characteristics (see photos below). These folks are scattered about in the area, and are largely unrelated to each other. Until further evidence leads to a differing conclusion, I would categorize these Afrikans as racially related, but not socially related. In other words, they do not constitute a community.
The information regarding Afrikans living in Boosa, on the western coast near the southern city of Galle, is still being gathered. While there is no oral history to confirm how they got there or why they remain identifiably Afrikan, written history offers a hypothesis. The imperial British controlled Sri Lanka from the early 1800s through the middle of the twentieth century. During the 1800s, the British built a prison camp at Boosa. It was used to house prisoners captured in South Africa during the Boer War (1899-1903). The British made a common practice of importing prison guards, domestics, and other support personnel from other colonies under their control. The theory for doing this was that these workers would be loyal to the British, and not to the prisoners (who might have been their racial enemies from South Africa), and would not be loyal to the Sri Lankans, with whom they did not share a language, a culture, or a history. This theory did not fully work as the British planned. It appears that many of these imported Afrikans married Sri Lankans, stayed in Sri Lanka, and raised families. Furthermore, the Afrikans that I have met thusfar in Boosa and Hikkaduwa, the neighboring town, are all Buddhists. This contrasts with all the other Afrikans I have met in Sri Lanka, who are either Catholic, or, in one case, Muslim. These Afrikans must have blended into the culture of Boosa, though they retain their Afrikan hair and facial characteristics (see photos below). These folks are scattered about in the area, and are largely unrelated to each other. Until further evidence leads to a differing conclusion, I would categorize these Afrikans as racially related, but not socially related. In other words, they do not constitute a community.
Links
Duggleby, Luke: http://www.lukeduggleby.com/sri-lankas-african-diaspora
Jayawardene, Sureshi M. “Racialized Casteism: Exposing the Relationship Between Race, Caste, and Colorism Through the Experiences of Africana People in India and Sri Lanka.” Journal of African American Studies, vol. 20. No.3-4 (2016), 323-345.
Jayawardene, Sureshi M. “Pushing the Paradigm: Locating Scholarship on the Siddis and Kaffirs.” Journal of Black Studies, vol.44, no.7 (2013), 687-705.
Duggleby, Luke: http://www.lukeduggleby.com/sri-lankas-african-diaspora
Jayawardene, Sureshi M. “Racialized Casteism: Exposing the Relationship Between Race, Caste, and Colorism Through the Experiences of Africana People in India and Sri Lanka.” Journal of African American Studies, vol. 20. No.3-4 (2016), 323-345.
Jayawardene, Sureshi M. “Pushing the Paradigm: Locating Scholarship on the Siddis and Kaffirs.” Journal of Black Studies, vol.44, no.7 (2013), 687-705.
Photo from The Palinda Stephen de Silva Collection: 19th Century Photos of Ceylon. 2006. p. 4.
"The Last Four African Sisters in Sri Lanka": http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2018/08/05/focus/last-four-african-sisters-sri-lanka