Cashing in on colonial chic

The advent of the European colonialist powers had catastrophic economic, social and ecological consequences for Sri Lanka. The laid-back culture of the island was smashed and the population faced over four centuries of exploitation and colour-based discrimination.

Reading through the documents of the colonial era, one gets a feeling of a small White, European clique lording it over an anonymous dark mass of indigenous people. Going through the names of coffee estate owners in the 18th century, among the list of British names one suddenly comes across ‘A Native’, and wonder if it is a name!

The memory of colonialism was so crushing that the desire of most people in the immediate post-independence era was to efface as much of it as possible. The first step was the removal of statues of British monarchs and governors and their replacement by local politicians. Street names were changed, although some remain in popular usage, for example Barnes Place, Darley Road, Torrington Square and Havelock Road in Colombo.

The last ‘Whites Only’ club opened its doors to locals three decades ago, along with the last ‘No Natives Allowed’ hospital. Sufficient time has now passed since the departure of the colonial masters for us to look back at the period of servitude as just a phase of our history.

European influence

We can begin to appreciate the contributions the imperial overlords left us in the midst of the destruction. Foremost among these must be the that made by Portuguese, Dutch and English to the vernacular: terms such as boodalaya, cheetthaya, istoppuwa, kasadaya, ketalaya, lensuwa, mesaya, notaris, pensala, sapattuwa, takseruwa and vendesi come from the colonial languages.

The colonial cultures fertilised ours, affecting our literature, introducing musical forms (Baila), and instruments (guitars, violins) and even creating furniture.

Colonial art shows heavy European influence: low-country temple paintings contain European motifs (especially the Double Lion of the Dutch and the Lion and Unicorn of the British), the late 19th and early 20th century ones (like the contemporary Buddhist colour prints) having a definite pre-Raphaelite or art-nouveau appearance.

The European powers made the greatest impact architecturally, most clearly visible in the old buildings of the forts of Colombo and Galle. Other structures also show the European influence, including many Buddhist monasteries - several monasteries are either converted churches or are based on church design - and most period housing.

There is an economic advantage to this colonial heritage, particularly in the field of tourism. The existence of familiar European styles cheek by jowl with ‘exotic’ oriental forms, with the occasional out of the ordinary blend of the two, provides contrasts which are satisfying to the sightseer’s cultural appetite.

Architectural supervision

We are already, to some extent, cashing in on the colonial chic, particularly in the Galle Fort and in Colombo - the recent facelift given to the Dutch Hospital in the Colombo Fort being exemplary. However, in other areas we are failing to make mileage out of the imperial past.

The Pettah, once a shining example of the blend of European and oriental, has become a stylistic disaster area due to the absence of adequate archaeological or architectural supervision. Only the Khan clock tower and just a few historic buildings - such as the Dutch Museum, the old Town Hall, the red mosque, and Hunters - have been preserved. Quite recently, the iconic Don Carolis shop was partly demolished.

Outside Colombo, the destruction goes on. The Obeyesekera Walauwa at Rajagiriya, once a residence of the Governors of Ceylon, later the property of, in turn Ananda Kumaraswamy and Anagarika Dharmapala, is being torn down. Other edifices are being modified without proper architectural supervision.

Most surviving colonial buildings now exist in isolation, some of them being tourist attractions in their own right, for example the Dutch church in Kalpitiya, the Star Fort in Matara and the Martello tower in Hambantota.

Colonial heritage

Immediate action must be taken to ensure that surviving colonial buildings are not knocked down or altered. Several towns still preserve the older architecture (Padukka in Colombo district and Hingula in Kegalle district come to mind). These towns need to be treated as heritage sites: the surviving colonial structures must be cleaned up and the architecture of the surrounding area made to conform.

There is another aspect of colonial chic which is not much exploited. Several famous people have either been domiciled here or made visits here, but are not commemorated. The Galle Face Hotel has a plaque commemorating the famous people who have stayed there, but not the Grand Oriental Hotel (where Chekhov stayed), while the Bristol Hotel (host to Mark Twain) barely survives.

In the outstations, the Hanwella rest house (formerly a Colonial fort and the site of a famous battle) has a bench on which (the later) King Edward VII sat and a Jak tree he planted, but no mention is made of the other three royal princes who stayed there.

The Queen’s Hotel in Kandy does not commemorate the numerous famous members of the American OSS who stayed there during the war, their headquarters are not identified. The many estates which belonged to famous British people are unremarkable, since unmarked. No trace remains of the Duke of Wellington in Trincomalee.

Most European cities mark the former residences of famous people with blue plaques. In Sri Lanka we pull the buildings down. Landmarks are not signposted. Who would know that the Rifle Green in Slave Island was where the historic first recorded cricket match (between the 97th Regiment and the CCC) took place?

We need to begin the systematic marking of historic places and landmarks with blue plaques. This could be done by a special joint committee of the Archaeological Department, the Department of Physical Planning, the Tourist Board, and any other relevant institutions. This would be a good starting point for preserving our colonial heritage.