Mangala’s Freedom Hub to relaunch in Matara to empower youth

Freedom Hub is the final project of the late Mangala Samaraweera. Launched a month before his untimely passing from COVID in August 2021, the long-time liberal-democratic champion unexpectedly stepped back from parliamentary politics and aligned himself instead with youth advocates, change-maker creatives, entrepreneurs and innovative professionals.

Mangala, who foretold much of Sri Lanka’s current crisis before his passing, also believed strongly that the way out & forward from Sri Lanka’s cyclical history of crises was in partnership with youth. After all, it is their futures that are most at stake in the challenges ahead.

And as a once brilliant fashion designer and design teacher at University of Kelaniya himself, Mangala’s conception of Freedom Hub as a digital & creative content & skills development and collaboration hub based on the ‘20 Values of a ‘Radical Centre’, spoke to his cognizance of how creativity & freedom of expression are vital & vibrant tools for the communication of people’s needs, struggles, and hopes. More so they are one of the fundamental modes through which people imagine & craft the opportunities & world they hope for.

The Freedom Hub relaunch in Matara in 2023 will be led by a team of youth who have worked across branding & arts & the SME sector, and are supported by Mangala’s family & friends. This team has been in Matara since October, listening to the ground-level needs & aspirations based on which they have crafted a ‘Creative Enterprise’ programme – aiming at bringing together activities that foster & broaden a creative mindset & expression together with entrepreneurship skills & economically empowering projects.

The 5-month long ‘Creative Enterprise’ pilot will be broken down into a) 3-month foundational English language programme taught by a TKT Certified Instructor who is a graduate of the internationally recognized Asian University for Women and has previously taught ESL in both Maskeliya & Batticaloa; b) An inter-woven & then focused 2-month long Creative Enterprise programme brought to life by a list of visiting subject experts who will hold sessions & workshops with programme participants, and in some instances, with the general public at large. At the end of each programme cycle, we will also host a ‘Creator Market & Showcase’ where products and content created by participants during the Creative Enterprise Programme are shared with the general public too.

Speakers include a lineup of Mangala’s creative contemporaries such as esteemed handicrafts, textiles & fashion designer Senaka de Silva; internationally-renowned Sri Lankan contemporary artist & Matara native Pala Pothupitiye; award-winning filmmakers Bavaneeda Loganathan & Chinthana Dharmadasa, internationally-known Sri Lanka travel content creators & influencers Shenelle Rodrigo & Shehaan Thahir, Matara-based hospitality culture-makers Team Dots Ceylon Hotels & Smoke & Bitters, RCA graduated canvas & digital /NFT artist Bilaal Raji Saheed, wildlife & eco-tourism hotelier between Nepal & Sri Lanka Tim Edwards; talk-show host, performer, & Trans-rights & LGBTQ advocate Bhoomi Harendran, artist & arts educator Minal Naomi Wickramatunge, award-winning duo music director & composer Madhun Dissanayake & creative director and filmmaker Nayani Dissanayake, as well as screenings of the films of animator Irushi Tennekoon and more.