Colombo, Media and Communications, Peace and Conflict

An African connection: Kaffir culture in Sri Lanka

Historians say that the Kaffirs of Sri Lanka started arriving from the eastern shores of Africa in the 1500s with the Portuguese, and later in more waves with the different colonizers of Sri Lanka. ‘Kaffir culture’ is a video portrait of one such community of Kaffirs and their struggle to keep their culture alive in the face of falling numbers.

Written and produced by Kannan Arunasalam.

Music by the Ceylon Kaffirs. Special thanks to Sweta Velpillay, Nethra Samarawickrema, Leah Worthington and Greg Kelly.

Click here to watch this movie in stunning widescreen high definition (720p) on our Facebook fan page, where you can also easily share it with others. You can also watch it in high definition on Kannan’s Vimeo page  here.