As the island nation of Sri Lanka suffers the worst economic crisis in its recent history, hundreds of people from various backgrounds have taken shelter since April in a protest held at a “Gota Go Gama” (GGG) makeshift village in front of the president’s office. in the capital. Colombo city.
In a country that has long struggled with ethnic and religious conflict, GGG is not only a center of protest, but also a rare glimpse of what a unified Sri Lanka could look like. Inside the sprawling tent city, generations of mistrust between groups like Sinhalese Buddhists, Tamil Hindus and Muslims seem to give way to camaraderie, tolerance and learning. Here, Sri Lankans come together with one goal: to send home their elected president.
Shamara Wettimuny, a history scholar at Oxford University, says it takes courage for minority groups to take part in the ongoing protest, given years of persecution by the state and the majority Buddhist community. She says: “[Gota Go Gama] has received support from all over the island, in creative and unique ways. The effect of such experiences may not translate into solidarity overnight, but I am optimistic that in the long run we will be in a better place than we are now.”
why are we writing this
In a nation divided by ethnic-religious differences, a makeshift protest village is a platform for sustained demonstrations against political mismanagement, generating a sense of unity among Sri Lanka’s diverse people.
Colombo, Sri Lanka
For two months, Mohammed Shermila has camped outside the president’s office in the capital city of Colombo, enduring the scorching sun and occasional torrential rain to demand the resignation of Sri Lanka’s powerful leader, Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
“We’re not leaving until he’s gone,” she says from her blue tent covered in Sri Lankan flags. Ms. Shermila, a Muslim street vendor here, is one of hundreds of Sri Lankans who have barricaded themselves in the “Gota Go Gama” (GGG) makeshift village since April, as the island nation suffers the worst economic crisis in its recent history. Years of mismanagement have resulted in severe shortages of basics like fuel and cooking gas, as well as daily power outages and rising prices.
In a country that has long struggled with ethnic and religious conflict, GGG is not just a center of protest, but a rare glimpse of what a unified Sri Lanka could look like. Inside the sprawling tent city, generations of mistrust between groups like Sinhalese Buddhists, Tamil Hindus and Muslims seem to give way to camaraderie, tolerance and learning. Here, Sri Lankans come together with one goal: to send home their elected president.
why are we writing this
In a nation divided by ethnic-religious differences, a makeshift protest village is a platform for sustained demonstrations against political mismanagement, generating a sense of unity among Sri Lanka’s diverse people.
Shamara Wettimuny, a history scholar at Oxford University, says it takes courage for minority groups to take part in the protest, given years of persecution by the state and the majority Buddhist community. However, she describes GGG as “the most united protest we have seen in recent times” and says that while it does not guarantee lasting peace, this period of cooperation could usher in a stronger post-crisis democracy.
“[Gota Go Gama] it has received support from all over the island, in creative and unique ways,” she says. “The effect of such experiences may not translate into solidarity overnight, but I am optimistic that in the long run we will be in a better place than we are now.”
Although the protests have been peaceful and government officials have not disrupted activities at GGG, a group believed to be loyal to the government attacked protesters on May 9 and set fire to some tents. After that attack, then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president’s older brother, resigned, and the new Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, called for an investigation and extended his support for the protesters.
Overcoming a history of division
President Rajapaksa said last week that despite continuing protests, he has no intention of resigning.
The controversial leader is part of Sri Lanka’s most powerful political family, and several relatives other than his brother have resigned from their posts since April. Before being elected president in 2019, Mr. Rajapaksa was known for his pivotal role in defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a militant group that sought to end the persecution of Tamils by creating an independent state. in northeastern Sri Lanka. But ethno-religious tensions did not end with the 2009 civil war. Critics say the president and his political allies have used incidents like the 2014 and 2018 anti-Muslim riots and the 2019 Easter bombings to stoke old fears and stir up its base.
Back in Gota Go Gama, amid anti-Rajapaksa chants and demonstrations, protesters from all walks of life are finding community. During Ramadan, people of various faiths served Muslims snacks and water to break the daily fast, and Catholic priests and Buddhist monks joined in the Eid al-Fitr festivities. When Sri Lanka celebrated its national new year in April, Sinhalese and Tamil protesters participated in traditional activities together.
Raghu Balachandran, a Tamil from the eastern city of Trincomalee, is delighted that GGG has become a symbol of unity. “For many decades, Sinhalese leaders used racism … to keep the Sinhalese community separate from Tamils and Muslims,” he says. “Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his party came to power using the same strategy.”
He believes the economic crisis has given Sinhalese in the south of the country a better understanding of the “decades of suffering” endured by Tamils and other minorities.
Ms. Shermila has witnessed attacks against her Muslim community since 2013, when hardline Buddhist groups launched an anti-halal campaign. The change she is seeing in GGG is overwhelming, she says: “The Rajapaksas came to power using racism, but today we have all come together to kick them out. No one here identifies by religion or race, because we are all human, and humanity is our race.”
strength in unity
Many, including Pavithra Chinthaka, are unable to stay at GGG all day due to work and family commitments. She joins the protests every night after work. “I come here every day with my national flag to support the young people who are protesting,” says Mr. Chinthaka, who is Buddhist. “They are our future and we must support them.”
Like Ms. Shermila, she says she feels a change is taking place at Gota Go Gama, where people no longer feel they need to identify based on their religion.
The crucial difference between the GGG protest and hundreds of others on various scales over the past century, says Ms Wettimuny, is that GGG’s scope accommodates a myriad of complaints.
“On the one hand, GGG’s main focus is to send President Rajapaksa ‘home,’” he writes by email. “On the other hand, the spirit of GGG has embraced and supported a variety of recent and historic protests.” These include calls for accountability for anti-Muslim riots and the Easter bombings, as well as decent wages and housing for plantation workers and the repeal of the country’s controversial anti-terror law.
The diversity of causes seems to strengthen GGG rather than weaken it, says Ms. Wettimuny, because “these minority complaints are receiving more attention and support from the ‘majority’”. She adds that GGG is “a site for learning.”
Moses Akash de Silva has been protesting at GGG almost daily since the first tent went up on Galle Face Green on April 9. Unlike other protests backed by a political party, he says, GGG was started by the people. “It’s open to anyone, and it’s become a common space for anyone who wants to speak out against the government and the system,” he says.
Mr. de Silva says that he, a Christian, was in tears when he saw Muslims breaking their fast every day at the protest site during Ramadan: “It was a very beautiful moment for me, to see this unity that the Rajapaksas They broke up once.”