Saturday, 8 March 2014 00:00
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In honour of International Women’s Day 2014
Herstories, an archival project focusing on Sri Lankans’ histories told through the voices of mothers from the south, east and north of the country, was officially presented to the National Archives of Sri Lanka on Thursday, 6 March, under the patronage of the Secretary to the Ministry of National Heritage.
This is the first collection focused entirely on women within the National Archives. It is being exhibited at the National Archives from 6-8 March – International Women’s Day.
Mothers are guardians of their family history; the pillars of strength upon which a family is built. They are also the most affected by war and peace as ordinary women live extraordinary lives that show women’s courage and resilience. As such, this project highlights their strength in the face of adversity, and their hopes for their children’s and Sri Lanka’s futures.
The project attempts to address a gap in the way we record and remember history, or his-story. Women’s stories, particularly those of ordinary citizens, are often unrecorded and forgotten in the course of history in many contexts.
The project has collected 270 oral stories recounting family histories, experiences and hopes –through hand-written letters, photo essays, short videos and mapping and visual story-telling methods.
The women who have shared their stories voluntarily are from Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, Monaragala, Ampara and Kurunegala. The stories have been translated and are available in English, Sinhala and Tamil. A sample collection of 60 stories was presented through a travelling exhibition in Colombo, Galle and Ampara. The entire collection will be archived online at www.herstoryarchives.org.
‘Herstories’ not only showcases a shared history of women in Sri Lanka through our turbulent past to a hopeful future, but also shows how we Sri Lankans are rooted in multiple identities, histories and experiences. Through the narratives of many, this project highlights a collective sense of fundamental humanness that transcends boundaries to create empathy for the other.
These ‘Herstories’ will not only add to the culture of oral tradition and story-telling in Sri Lanka – they will also contribute to bringing together diverse groups and the preservation of peoples’ history for future generations of Sri Lankans.
Accepting the collection, the Director of the Archives, Dr. Saroja Wetthesinghe said: “The Department of National Archives functions under the legal provisions of National Archives Law, No: 48 of 1973 and National Archives (Amendment) Act No. 30 of 1981 and according to Clause 12, the Department acquires important special private collections. Herstories is a project of oral history and also focused only on women which carries information on women and hence it is a valuable collection. As the International Women’s Day falls on 8 March, the collection is exhibited in honour of that.”
