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| Wednesday, 2 March 2005 |
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by Nadira Gunatilleke The Cultural Affairs and National Heritage Ministry has organised a special program in Kandy today (March 2) to mark the day the patriot Ven. Wariyapola Sumangala Thera raised his voice against imperialism. The event is organised as the 500th anniversary of Portuguese invasion of Sri Lanka falls this year. A seminar has been organised under the theme '1815 Kandyan Convention and 1948 National Independence' at D. S. Senanayaka Memorial Public Library Auditorium by the Kandy branch of the National Archives Department, Colombo. Assistant Archivist Ms. Prema Muthuwaththa will deliver a lecture on the theme 'The assistance received from State Documents when studying the era beginning with 1815'. Ven. Dr. Hanguranketha Dheerananda Thera will deliver a lecture on `Was the 1815 Kandyan Convention a turning point in our journey in history?'. Prof. Gamini Keerawella will deliver a lecture on `The National Independence we received in 1948'. An exhibition will be held on the same day at the same venue to mark the day. Copies of documents dating back to the colonial era will be put on display at this exhibition. The public will get the chance of viewing the `Kandyan Convention', Commission reports, Gazette notifications, Ordinances etc. during this exhibition. Cultural Affairs and National Heritage Minister Vijitha Herath and the Deputy Minister Samantha Vidyarathne will grace the occasion. Minister Herath said that Joaguim Ferreira Margues, the Portugal Ambassador in India expressed his willingness to appoint a Sri Lanka - Portugal Joint Cultural Commission to investigate and make recommendations about the Portugal influence on Sri Lanka. He said that the Portugese Ambassador expressed these views after a discussion held at his office recently. Margues pointed out that the new Portugal Government wants to erase the black scars left during the colonial era. According to Minister Herath this commission will provide an opportunity to Sri Lanka to prove the destruction caused during the Portuguese era with strong evidence. It was proposed to carry out excavations to discover new archaeological evidence. The two parties discussed the possibility of holding an exhibition in Sri Lanka in order to display artifacts and jewellery that was taken away from Sri Lanka. Margues promised to return the ashes of Konappu Bandara, a Sri Lankan hero, to Sri Lanka. The Minister revealed those details during a recent press briefing held at the Government Information Department. The Cultural Affairs and National Heritage Ministry has made arrangements to educate the schoolchildren and the public on the damage caused by the Portuguese to the properties and human lives in Sri Lanka, in order to create patriotic feelings among Sri Lankan citizens. Minister Herath said that the Ministry intervened at National and International level to force the Portuguese to return the properties seized from Sri Lanka, make them apologise for the crimes committed and to compensate for the properties and human lives destroyed during the invasion. A special committee has already been appointed to organise this program with the participation of Ministry officials and independent academics and doctors. The committee is chaired by Dr. Susantha Gunatilleke. The main objective of this program is to authenticate the destruction caused by all European nations during their invasion and pay for the destruction caused. |
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