S5 Ep. 25: A Change of Fortune: Sunila Galappatti on the #GotaGoHome Protests in Sri Lanka

fiction/non/fiction

Editor, dramaturg, and author Sunila Galappatti joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss why protesters across Sri Lanka are calling for the resignation of their once-popular president, Gotabaya “Gota” Rajapaksa. Galappatti reads from her recent article in The Hindu about what the protests look like firsthand, and also talks about how brutal economic conditions are driving people of different class and ethnic backgrounds—including Gota’s primarily Sinhalese base—to unite in unexpected ways; the growing space for critical political speech; and what the international media is missing about the protests.

To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Sunila Galappatti

• A Long Watch: War, Captivity and Return in Sri Lanka
• “Seeking Refuge in ‘GotaGoGama’ – a Partial Journal of Protest,” The Hindu, May 16, 2022

Others:

• “Politics and the English Language” by George Orwell
• Capital by Rana Dasgupta
• “Majoritarianism and Minorities in Asia,” Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1, Episode 13
• John Peel: Margrave of the Marshes by John Peel, Sheila Ravenscroft, and Jack White
• Mueller Report
• Himal Southasian podcast
• Meera Srinivasan

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