Next stop Sri Lanka with Danny Sriskandarajah, CEO of Oxfam UK

Commonwealth Poetry Podcast

Join Gyles and Aphra Brandreth as they meet the Chief Executive of Oxam, Danny Sriskandarajah, who shares his story growing up on a small island in Sri Lanka. Recalling the happy memories of his childhood as well as the lasting impacts of the Sri Lanken civil war that would displace his family. Danny reads poems from the ancient Tamil text, Thirukural, as well as sharing poems that highlight different aspects of the war in Sri Lanka from his perspective as a Sri Lanken Tamil.

Highlighting the important work of Oxfam, as he puts it, when in the world today there are more people in need of humanitarian assistance than there have been at any time since the second world war. Danny also reads Carol Ann Duffy’s fun poem about Oxfam.

Poems in this episode include: Two poems from the ancient Tamil text – Thirukural; When they shot him dead by Cheran; A plot of land by Cheran; Nanthikadal by Nillanthan; Colonization in Reverse by Louise Bennett-Coverley; and Oxfam by Carol Ann Duffy