Sri Lanka marked 70 years of Independence on February 4th 2018. This historical journey, up to now, has been mainly celebrated by recalling major political milestones and historical events.  The Archive of Memory seeks to shift our focus onto the lives and experiences of ordinary Sri Lankans by compiling a people’s history of the island during the past 70 years.

We hope to do this by showcasing individual stories that are associated in some way with significant events in Sri Lanka’s political, economic or social history. Each story will pivot around a specific object, be it a very mundane item such as a teacup or an antique killota. This is because we are well aware that objects often help to keep memories alive, to help us remember.

We invite you to listen to some of the stories here which will be published in our book later this year. They will also be included in a larger archive of stories also accessible online at https://archiveofmemory.lk/

Would you like to contribute a story? If so, please click on ‘Share your story’ tab to submit your story.