US marks two cultural preservation milestones in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO – US Ambassador Julie Chung this week visited Kandy to preside over events marking two milestones in the United States’ long-standing support to preserving Sri Lanka’s diverse cultural heritage.
On March 14, Ambassador Chung and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya, Professor M.D. Lamawansa, held a closing ceremony for a US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) project that documented and preserved four traditional ritual dance forms and related crafts.
The $116,000 grant, initiated in 2016, supported the University’s effort to preserve and to share the performing arts traditions of upcountry Kandyan Kohomba Kankariya dance; Northern and Eastern Tamil Koothu dance drama; Adivasi rituals and cultural practices from Eastern Province; and a southern dance-drama rituals and performance from the Kolam tradition in the Southern Province.
Recordings of these intangible forms of Sri Lanka’s heritage are now archived under the Department of Fine Arts, Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya. For public and online reference, shorter videos will be available on the internet with links in the Department of Fine Arts website of the University of Peradeniya at http://arts.pdn.ac.lk/afcp/.
Ambassador Chung, noting that the traditions of these cultures have been recorded and made accessible to future generations as a result of the collaboration between the US Embassy and University of Peradeniya, said the entire effort demonstrates the deep respect and close partnership between our countries.
On March 15, Ambassador Chung and Director General of Archaeology, Professor Anura Manatunga, officially launched a $265,000 grant project that will support the conservation of the Old Kandyan Kings’ Palace and fund upgrades to the Archaeology Museum in the Kings’ Palace located within the Sacred Temple of the Tooth complex. The project is an AFCP partnership between the United States and the Sri Lanka Department of Archaeology.
The US Embassy in Colombo said the conservation of the elements of the UNESCO World Heritage Site will provide future generations of students, scholars, Sri Lankans, and tourists the ability to view and continue to learn about the history of the ancient Kingdom of Kandy.
Ambassador Chung noted, “Today’s ceremony demonstrates the breadth and impact of the partnership between our two countries and shows that by celebrating the richness of our past we can create a stronger future.”
Since 2001, AFCP has funded 14 projects in Sri Lanka, including the conservation of the Rajagala Buddhist forest monastery, the preservation of Buddhist, Hindu, and other collections in the Anuradhapura Archaeological Museum, and the restoration of the Batticaloa Dutch Fort.
-ENCL