| Description | Track 1: silence 0.27 mins
Interview with Malla Sekara. He talks about the introduction of civil registration in the 1880s so that Buddhists no longer had to marry in the Christian church, new laws granting Buddhists the right to have religious processions, and the re-establishment of Buddhist schools. He talks about the Christian denominations in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), the Catholicism introduced by the Portuguese colonists, the Reform church introduced by Dutch colonists, and the British Christian traditions introduced during the nineteenth century. He talks about the confiscation of land belonging to Buddhist monasteries and temples under the 'Waste Land Ordinance', the tea, coffee and coconut plantations in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and the wealth that plantation owners made. He discusses university educated political activists who were influenced by Leftist movements in Europe, particularly Marxism and how their ideology appealled to ordinary people. He talks about the importance of these people being able to speak Sinhala, the new educational opportunities for people from more rural areas and less elite social backgrounds who can now study at University through the medium of Sinhalese because of the policy of 'Free Education'. He goes on to talk about the people behind the recent insurgency who believed government promises that they would be provided with jobs, and the high levels of government corruption. He talks about the views of some of the political parties in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and the social background of their supporters, the growing opposition to the UNP (United National Party) amongst young people and the appeal of Leftist movements proposing radical change and revolution. He talks about the widespread feelings of shock at the violence of the insurgency because it is alien to Buddhism and considers the possible effects of the insurgency on government policies (tracks 2-12).
Track 13: silence 12.17 mins
Total: 36.33 mins
Dubber's reference number: PLA KF565D0360780 |