It’s About Time – an informative experience of history

It’s About Time, a traveling history museum in Sri Lanka which was brought to life in early 2019, has now returned in a compact and unique capacity, with two celebratory and informative installations inside a mobile container! The exhibition will be located on the premises of the University of Colombo (Colombo 3), at the Faculty of Arts entrance via Philip  Gunawardena Mawatha (Reid Avenue) on 14-22 February 2022, from 9am to 5pm, daily.

The exhibits include ‘The Archive of Memory’, which is an ever-evolving archive of everyday people’s stories and their affiliation to an object that evokes a memory of a historic moment. This exhibit was particularly important to showcase as it was launched 70 years after Sri Lanka had gained its Independence. It invites you to participate as a humble onlooker, who may eventually contribute to the archive should you have a story of your own. It is presented in English, Sinhala and Tamil.

The second exhibition titled ‘A Window into Sri Lankan History’ is a critical overview of the historical developments that led from the collapse of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom until 1948 – the end of colonial rule. Senior lecturer of the History Department of the University of Colombo, Dr Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri, leads the research in this initiative. Dr Dewasiri has been developing this narrative over the past 4 years with in-depth archival research offering new perspectives to modern history. This exhibition will be presented in Sinhala.

Starting in February 2019 and touring four districts with over 18,000 visitors, the museum showcased a variety of interactive art and cultural exhibits, audio-visual material, and a series of performances and activities for all age groups in Moratuwa, Weerawila, Nittambuwa and Jaffna. The museum took audiences on a journey through different facets of Sri Lanka’s history since independence, to celebrate the country’s diversity and recognize the role we play in shaping history.

  Apart from the aforementioned installations that are free to visit between 14-22 February at 9 am – 5 pm, there will also be scheduled events that will be taking place. This includes two significant launches. It’s About Time’s next medium, a virtual museum that the public can access on a mobile device, will be previewed and launched on 18 February at 4:30 pm  at the exhibition while the book ‘Biography of Sarath Wijesinghe’ written by Hemamali Wijesinghe will be launched on 22 February from 4:00 to 6:00pm in the Colombo University’s open space.

  Thirteen unique short films made by local  emerging and established filmmakers will also be screened on themes of memory and minorities of Sri Lanka. The film screenings will take place on 17-21 February from 3:00 to 4:30pm at the exhibition. All event features will be accessible in English, Sinhala and Tamil.

  The museum is organised by an initiative called historicaldialogue.lk, a platform of Sri Lankan professionals working towards a critical and constructive approach in dealing with the past. For more information visit www.historicaldialogue.lk. historicaldialogue.lk is supported by Strengthening Reconciliation Processes in Sri Lanka (SRP), a programme jointly funded by the European Union and the German Government. SRP partners with the government of Sri Lanka, and is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the British Council.