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Research Summary and Profile

Research interests:

Communities, Classes, Races, Cultural memory, Culture, Globalization & Development, History, Human rights, International Relations, Social Sciences

Regions:

Africa, Asia, Europe

Summary of research interests and expertise:

Migration, commerce and cultural exchange in the Indian Ocean; the Malay and Portuguese diasporas; African diaspora in the East; legacies of colonialism and the slave trade; theoretical linguistics and ethnomusicology

Shihan is a Visiting Professor in the College of International Relations, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto (Japan), a Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge, and an Affiliated Collaborator, University of Colombo (Sri Lanka).. She was awarded a Rama Watumull Collaborative Lecture Series award from the Center for South Asian Studies & Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity Award, University of Hawaii, USA, March 2020.

Shihan is an UN expert on Afrodescendants in Asia, UNHCR, Geneva, Switzerland. She served as a Member and Rapporteur of the International Scientific Committee of the UNESCO Slave Route Project (Paris, France). She is also a member of ICOMOS  (Sri Lanka) and an elected Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society (Great Britain and Ireland).

Shihan serves on the editorial boards of Cambridge Scholars Publishing (UK), African Diaspora and Transnationalism (Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers) and African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage (UK: Maney Publications).

 

 

 

Project summary relevant to Fellowship:

In the past few years, Shihan convened conferences at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies on the"Legacies of Trade and Empire" and on "Intangangible Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development".  A selection of papers will be published in "Sustaining Support for Intangible Cultural Heritage" (2022) (co-edited by Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya, Mariana Leitao Pereira and Gregory Hansen) and "Legacies of Trade and Empire:  Breaking Silences" (2023) (co-edited by Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya and Beheroze Shroff), both by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 

Shihan is the Producer/Director of Ethnographic Films which have been screened in several international venues:

·        A Lost African Diaspora (2019).  12 minutes.

·        Creole Cultures in the Indian Ocean (2018).  20 minutes.

·        Voices of Afro-Sri Lankans (2014).  70 minutes.

·         Indian Ocean Memories:  African Migrations (2014).  40 minutes.

Shihan co-authored a book with Professor Beatrice Nicolini:

·         Land and Maritime Empires in the Western Indian Ocean.   Milan:   Educatt  (2017). 

Among her six monographs are:

-  The African Diaspora in Asian Trade Routes and Cultural Memories (UK: Edwin Mellen Press, 2010)

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/dynamic-content-single-view/news/the_african_diaspora_in_asia_trade_routes_and_cultural_memor/

http://www.mellenpress.com/mellenpress.cfm?bookid=8062&pc=9
http://www.historyandpolicy.org/research/new-books/newbook_2.html
http://www.royalafricansociety.org/events/details/1057-the-african-diaspora-in-asian-trade-routes-and-cultural-memories.html
 

- African Identity in Asia:  Cultural Effects of Forced Migration.  Princeton, New Jersey:  Markus Wiener Publishers.  pp. 164 (2009).

- The Portuguese in the East: A Cultural History of a Maritime Trading Empire.  London: I B Tauris Academic Publishers/Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 212 (2008).

 

Shihan also edited the following books:

Sounds of Identity:  The Music of Afro-Asians.  Musike.  The Hague: Semar Publications. pp.129 (2006).

The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean.  New Jersey: Africa World Press. pp. 293 (2003).(with Professor Richard Pankhurst, OBE).

Uncovering the History of Africans in Asia.  Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers. pp. 196 (2008)(with Professor Jean-Pierre Angenot).

 

 

 

 

Publication Details

Related publications/articles:

Date	Details
19-Dec-2024	Global Portuguese: Literary, Historical, Sociolinguistic and Anthropological Approaches Edited Book Global Portuguese Literary, Historical, Sociolinguistic and Anthropological Approaches Series:  European Expansion and Indigenous Response, Volume: 44 Volume Editors: Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya and Stefan Halikowski Smith Global Portuguese results from conferences convened at the University of London School of Advanced Study to highlight legacies of Portuguese empire in postcolonial societies. Its chapters trace Portuguese legacies from the early modern to contemporary period through history, anthropology, language, literature, linguistics, and cuisine. There are sections devoted to sociolinguistic and anthropological methods, and studies on Thailand, Sri Lanka, Goa, Macau, Brazil, and Angola. Contributors are: Matthias Rõhrig Assunção, Dorothée Boulanger, Silvia Figueiredo Brandão, David Brookshaw, Paul Melo e Castro, Augusto Soares da Silva, Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya, Stefan Halikowski Smith, Annabel Jackson, Ivana Stolze Lima, Selina Patel Nascimento, Malyn Newitt, Gerhard Seibert, Andrzej Stuart-Thompson, Raan-Hann Tan, and Silvia Rodrigues Vieira. See Less Copyright Year: 2025 E-Book (PDF) Availability: Not Yet Published ISBN: 978-90-04-71051-1 Publication: 19 Dec 2024 EUR  €170.00 Hardback Availability: Not Yet Published ISBN: 978-90-04-71050-4 Publication: 19 Dec 2024 EUR  €170.00 Login via Institution Prices from (excl. shipping): €170.00 Not available for purchase Availability Alert View PDF Flyer Get Permissions
30-Dec-2022	African diaspora in South Asia: A Theoretical Perspective Chapters UNESCO General History of Africa. Paris.
25-Nov-2020	Os Portugueses no Este Articles Revista Oriente Ocidente. Lisbon: International Institute of Macau
07-Oct-2020	Africa in South Asia: Hybridity in Sri Lankan Kaffrinha Journal articles South Asian History and Culture
01-Sep-2020	Sociocultural Plurality in Sri Lanka:  Interculturality and New Knowledge Systems. Chapters In: Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: the Context of Being, Interculturality and New Knowledge Systems. Eds:  Dr Margaret Kumar and Dr Thushari Welikala.  UK: Emerald Publishing (2020).
01-Jul-2020	Unfree Labour and the Abolition of Slavery in Sri Lanka. Journal articles Ningen Bunka Kenkyu (Studies in Humanities and Cultures) No.34. Nagoya City University, Japan.
01-Feb-2020	Remembering Indian Ocean Slavery through Film: Afro-Sri Lankans Journal articles Journal of Global Slavery (Leiden)
01-Feb-2020	Impact of Multilingualism on Sri Lanka Portuguese Journal articles Ceylankan pp.10-11
22-Jan-2020	African Roots of South Asians Chapters In: Slavery, Resistance and Abolitions: A Pluralist Perspective. Eds: Ali Moussa Iye, Nelly Schmidt & Paul Lovejoy. New Jersey: Africa World Press.
01-Jan-2020	Recognising the Intangible Heritage of Afro-diasporic Communities in South Asia Chapters The University of North Carolina at Greensboro Ethiopia and East African Studies Project and Ahmedabad Sidi Heritage and Educational Center
01-Oct-2019	O portugues do Seri Lanca: situacao atual Articles A Folha No.60 Verao de 2019, pp. 7-10.
01-Feb-2019	A Hybrid Performance: East African Spirit Possession and Sri Lankan Manhas. Journal articles  Journal of Africana Religions
11-Jul-2017	Lost Narratives and Hybrid Identities: Afro-Asians Chapters  Barcelona: Indialogs
01-May-2017	Land and Maritime Empires in the Indian Ocean Monographs  Beatrice Nicolini & Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya, Educatt, Milan, Isbn: 9788893351867, PP. 288.
31-Jan-2017	Unexpected Outcomes of the Portuguese Encounter in Sri Lanka: Innovation and Hybridity Chapters  Bielefeld: Transcript
10-Jan-2015	Afro-Sri Lankans and their emergence from invisibility
09-Jun-2014	A South Asian Community of African Descent Journal articles SAARC Culture Vol. 5: 46-73.
01-Jan-2012	India's Hidden Affican Communities Global October 2012
01-Jan-2012	Musing on Kaffrinha and Baila Journal articles Ceylankan Journal 60, Vol.XV, Number 4, November 2012 (Australia)
01-Jan-2012	Survival Against All Odds: Longevity of Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole. Edited Book In:  Language Contact:  A Multidimensional Perspective.  Ed:  K Ihemere.  Newcastle:  Cambridge Scholars Publishing (2012).
01-Jan-2011	African Migration: Understanding Trends and Traditons (Special Guest Editor) African and Asian Studies, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers)
01-Jan-2011	Recruiting Africans to the British Regiments in Ceylon: Spillover Effects of Abolition in the Atlantic African and Asian Studies 10 (2011): 15-31 This paper focuses on the displacement of Africans, spurred by the tradition of recruiting soldiers to serve in both Asian and European armies. It considers the pressure to recruit Africans to the British regiments in Ceylon (called Sri Lanka since 1971) as documented in historical records in the National Archives and how this process was affected by Abolition in the Atlantic. It highlights the spillover effects, of abolishing the transatlantic slave trade, into other oceans.
01-Jan-2011	Language Maintenance and Loss among Afro-Asians in South Asia. In: Language Contact and Language Shift: Sociolinguistic Perspectives. Ed: K Ihemere. Munich: Lincom Academic Publishers.
01-Jan-2011	South Asia’s Africans: A Forgotten People Journal articles History Workshop Online: UK Across South Asia, there are isolated communities of African origin – often disadvantaged and with only tenuous links to the continent of their forbears. Dr Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya, a London-based researcher, explains how her interest in these communities was first aroused, and how diverse patterns of migration still shape the situation of people widely known today as ‘Sidis’:
01-Jan-2010	Persisting Portuguese Linguistic Imprints in India and Sri Lanka In: Portuguese in the Orient (Kandy: International Centre for Ethnic Studies)
01-Jan-2010	The African diaspora in Asian trade routes and cultural memories Monographs Edwin Mellen Press, UK/USA
01-Jan-2010	The African Diaspora in Asian Trade Routes and Cultural Memories UK: Edwin Mellen Press With increase of migration, diaspora studies have become a more significant part of global history. The African Diaspora in Asian Trade Routes and Cultural Memories by Dr Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya (Published by Edwin Mellen Press, UK) contributes to building a more comprehensive narrative of the global African movement. Concerned with Africans who migrated beyond the Indian Ocean, even to China and Japan, the book aims to stimulate scholarship on African movement to Asia and also to increase awareness of the history of Afro-Asian communities who still live in isolated pockets of Asia. Uncovering a slave route from Madagascar to Sumatra, the author identifies points of origin of slaves - Mozambique, Madagascar, Angola. Dr de Silva Jayasuriya argues that Africans played a vital role as interpreters, musicians and facilitators of cultural transformation and theorises on how Africans themselves were affected by the process of migration.
02-Jun-2008	Crossing Boundaries: Africans in South Asia Afrika Spectrum
01-Apr-2008	The Portuguese in the East: A Cultural History of a Maritime Trading Empire Monographs London: I B Tauris.
01-Jan-2008	Uncovering the History of Africans in Asia Edited Book Brill Academic Publishers: Leiden, Netherlands. The presence of Africans in Asia has been overshadowed by the tragedy of Atlantic slavery. Identifying Africans in Asia therefore challenges contemporary scholarship. Within this context, the processes of assimilation and marginalisation hinder identification of African migrants. This book demonstrates the multiplicity of roles performed by Africans and the heights that a few of them reached, even in a single generation. Drawing on a variety of sources, both oral and documented, this book reveals the extent of the African presence in Asia.
01-Jan-2008	Portuguese in the East: Cultural History of a Maritime Trading Empire Monographs London: IB Tauris Academic Publishers Vasco da Gama's voyage to India in the late 15th Century opened up new economic and cultural horizons for the Portuguese. At the height of Portugal's maritime influence, it had created an oceanic state ranging from the Cape of Good Hope to China. While Portugal's direct political influence in Asia was comparatively short-lived, its linguistic influence remains. Here Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya charts the influences of the Portuguese in more than fifty Asian tongues, illustrating the extent of Lusitanian links. Luso-Asian influence became engrained in eastern cultures in more subtle ways than other European empires which followed, such as the Portuguese oral traditions in folk literature, now embedded in postcolonial Asian music and song. These Portuguese cultural legacies are a lasting reminder of an unexpected outcome of seaborne commerce.
01-Jan-2008	African Identity in Asia: Cultural Effects of Forced Migration New Jersey: Markus Wiener Publishers In contrast to the dispersion of slaves across the Atlantic, African movement to Asia has received scant attention, because forced migrations across the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, which endured for centuries, were not part of a significant economic network. However, Britain’s commemoration in 2007 of the bicentennial of its abolishing the trans-Atlantic slave trade has now stimulated interest in other African migrations. In a book that encompasses the strong military impact made by even first-generation African migrants in Asia, as well as the descendants of the royal Africans who governed Sachin and Janjira (India), Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya further demonstrates that African music and dance have not only survived the brutalities of forced migration but have also contributed to the local Middle Eastern and South Asian arts scene. Even though spirit possession ceremonies have been preserved as a form of cultural identity, new, blended forms of music that evolved in Asia have now become indigenized in the host countries. Forced African migrants have become inadvertent cultural brokers between two continents. Combining historical accounts, both documented and oral, this groundbreaking work explores—through case studies, and through the processes of assimilation, social mobility, and marginalization—the silent history and conflicting identity of Asia’s Africans.
01-Jan-2008	African migrants as cultural brokers in South Asia Paris: UNESCO. African migrants found themselves in Asia, largely due to the slave trade. This paper explores cultural flows between Africa and Asia, highlighting the role of music. The lyrics of the Afro-Asian songs are a database exposing African linguistic links with Asia. The musical talents of the Afro-Asians need to be nurtured. Their music is internationally marketable but needs a market-maker.
01-Jan-2008	India and the African Diaspora In: Encyclopedia of African Diaspora. Ed: Carole Boyce-Davies.
03-Oct-2007	Portugal and Sri Lanka: Sociocultural Interactions and Language Contact. Articles
01-Jan-2006	Trading on a thalassic network: African migrations across the Indian Ocean Articles International Social Science Journal Volume 58, Issue 188, pages 215–225, June 2006 African migration eastwards has received far less academic attention than that across the Atlantic. While westwards migration was concentrated over a few centuries, migration across the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean has been continuing for over a millennium. Migration eastwards was both free and forced. Nevertheless, slavery and the slave trade were a major force in this phenomenon. Displaced Africans found themselves amongst people who had diverse cultural values and who spoke different languages. Within this context, the ethnicity of the slaves was not important to the slavers. Often slaves were separated from their kith and kin. This situation gave rise to cultural transformations but music and dance are among the striking cultural retentions. Creolisation resulted in some instances, while contemporary Afro-Asian communities are marginalised. This article considers the plight of the descendants of African migrants to the Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka.
01-Jan-2003	The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean Edited Book Although much has been written about the African Diaspora in the Atlantic Ocean, the Diaspora in the Indian Ocean is virtually unrecognized. Concerned with Africans, who lived south of the Sahara and were dispersed by free will or forcefully to the non-African lands in the Indian Ocean region, this books deals with a topic that has long been overlooked. Eight scholars, researching the African Diaspora in distinct geographical locations in the Indian Ocean region and with expertise in the areas of history, anthropology, linguistics, international relations, politics and sociology, have contributed papers to this book.
01-Mar-2000	The Portuguese Cultural Imprint on Sri Lanka Journal articles Paris: Lusotopie
	Portuguese Identity of Afro-Sri Lankans Journal articles Paris: Lusotopie
	African migrants in South Asia Articles  UNESCO
	Afro-descendants in Asia Articles Minority Rights Group International
	Afro-Sri Lankans and their emergence from Invisibility Articles Minority Rights Group International

Publications available on SAS-space

Additional Publications

Publications available in Senate House Libraries

Consultancy reports:

Date	Details
2019	Identifying and Empowering Afrodescendants in South Asia and the Gulf Region. UN Conference on Data for Racial Justice. 24th Session of the Working Group of Experts of People of African Descent. 25-29 March 2019, Palais des Nations, Geneva.
2009	Slave Route Project: Meeting of the International Committee Report to the Executive Council UNESCO (Paris)

Research Projects & Supervisions

Current PhD topics supervised:

Dates	Details
From: 11-Mar-2020 Until: 18-Sep-2021	The Trade Network of the Western Indian Ocean World between the Late Medieval Era and the Eighteenth Century: assessing environmental adaptability MRes in Historical Research, Institute of Historical Research, University of London.

Available for doctoral supervision: Yes

Relevant Events

Related events:

Date	Details
21-Apr-2021	Legacies of Trade and Empire Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London.
03-Aug-2020	Intangible Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London.
05-Jun-2020	Dance and Difference: Afro-Sri Lankan Cultural Memories Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London
04-Mar-2020	Sri Lankan Baila: Heartbeat of the Nation Center for South Asian Studies and Department of History, University of Hawaii, Manoa
02-Mar-2020	Staying power of the Portuguese in the East Department of History, University of Hawaii, Manoa
06-Feb-2020	Portuguese Impact on the Socioculture of Sri Lanka from 1505AD. Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute (BIDTI), BMICH, Colombo.
02-Feb-2020	Documenting Indian Ocean Music: Baila, Kaffrinha, Manha. University of Performing Arts, Colombo.
22-Jan-2020	History and Sociology of Sri Lankan Baila. Sociology Department, University of Colombo.
21-Jan-2020	Indian Ocean Memories and African Migrants (film screening and discussion). Social Scientists Association, Colombo.
09-Jan-2020	Language Shift: from Sri Lanka Portuguese to Sinhala. Department of Sinhala Guest Lecture.
27-Oct-2019	Unfree Labour and the Abolition of the Slavery. Unfree Labour and Abolition of Slavery. Kyoto, Japan.
26-Oct-2019	Emerging Afro-Asians: Forgotten Identities. Japan Society Regional Workshop, Japan Society for Afrasian Studies, Department of Economics, University of Kansai, Japan.
23-Oct-2019	Emerging Afro-Asians: Forgotten Identities. University of Osaka, Japan.
20-Oct-2019	Identification as a precursor to Empowering Afrodescendants in South Asia. Kyoto History Workshop, University of Kyoto, Japan.
26-Sep-2019	Remembering the Indian Ocean Slave Trade through the lives of African Migrants: a lecture and screening of Indian Ocean Memories and African Migrants. IISG (International Institute of Social History), Amsterdam, Netherlands. 26 September 2019. Remembering the Indian Ocean Slave Trade through the lives of African Migrants: a lecture and screening of Indian Ocean Memories and African Migrants. IISG (International Institute of Social History), Amsterdam, Netherlands. 26 September 2019. Afro-diasporic Voices: Lest We Forget. Screening of Creole Cultures in the Indian Ocean and discussion. African Studies Centre, Leiden, Netherlands. 25 September 2019. Emerging Afro-Asians: Forgotten Histories. Indian Ocean Centre, University of Leiden, Netherlands, 24 September 2019.
25-Sep-2019	Afro-diasporic Voices: Lest We Forget. Screening of Creole Cultures in the Indian Ocean and discussion. Afro-diasporic Voices: Lest We Forget. Screening of Creole Cultures in the Indian Ocean and discussion. African Studies Centre, Leiden, Netherlands.
24-Sep-2019	Emerging Afro-Asians: Forgotten Histories. Emerging Afro-Asians: Forgotten Histories. Indian Ocean Centre, University of Leiden, Netherlands.
18-Jun-2019	Global Portuguese This symposium will explore the global impact of Portuguese cultural imprints and transculturation. The papers delivered by leading experts in the field will include but will not be limited to Lusophone spaces – Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, Cape Verde, Macau and East Timor. By making comparisons of global cultural flows, the symposium seeks to understand the nature of the Portuguese encounter with other peoples. Research questions examine how limited resources were managed and how innovations occurred in order to sustain trading and how a small maritime country in the Iberian Peninsula with limited resources was able to make lasting impressions on other cultures and maintain an empire. A network of fortresses and trading factories connected the nodes of the Portuguese colonial expansion across Africa and Asia, resulting in transculturated forms of musical expression. We seek to understand these informal and popular forms of cultural influence spread outside the confines of the official empire. The unofficial empire is under-recognised and the symposium aims to reveal its significance by employing cultural studies methodologies. The research paper presentations will be followed by a Roundtable Discussion. A musical performance will precede the Roundtable Discussion and Wine Reception. The performance will include music from Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Goa and Sri Lanka, a selection of folk music from the northern Portuguese region of Minho, Brazilian Lambada, Cape Verdean Morna, Goan Mando and Dulpod, Sri Lankan Kaffrinha and Baila. The music will illustrate the transformations of Portuguese music in various spaces of the Lusitanian empire. The global trade in African slaves and its effect on the musical landscape will be emphasised, bringing to the fore lesser known genres in the Indian Ocean World. The Portuguese affinity for music and its importance in bridging the cultural gap between themselves and Others will be highlighted. The significance of music in the forging of collective identity and community building, particularly in the diasporas, is a key element of the event. Speakers: Eric Morier-Genoud (Queens University, Belfast) Shihan de Silva (School of Advanced Study) Dorothee Boulanger (University of Oxford) Andrzej Stuart-Thompson (University of Oxford) Connie Bloomfield (King’s College London) Performers: Natalia Cerqueira, Samadi Galpayage, Hemal Jayasuriya, Shihan de Silva. Programme (Draft - subject to change) 14:00 Welcome; Catherine Davies (IMLR, London) 14:05 Introduction; Shihan de Silva (SAS, London) 14:10 The Catholic Church and the Third Portuguese Empire; Eric Morier-Genoud (Queens University, Belfast) 14:45 Sri Lanka Portuguese: Multilingualism and Identity; Shihan de Silva (SAS, London) 15:20 From the aristocratic rooms to the democratic stage: The 150 year journey of the Goan musical genre Mando; Susana Sardo (Aveiro University, Portugal) 15:55 Urban childhoods, literary filiations? Connecting and comparing childhood narratives in Angolan Literature; Dorothee Boulanger (University of Oxford) and Andrzej Stuart-Thompson (University of Oxford) 16:30 Mythology in Northeast Brazilian popular poetry and song; Connie Bloomfield (King’s College London) 17:05 Break - proceed to Chancellors Hall (1st Floor) 17:15 Performance - Chancellors Hall Portuguese, Cape Verdean and Brazilian Music; Natalia Cerqueira and Shihan de Silva Goan Mando, Sri Lankan Kaffrinha and Sri Lankan Baila; Samadi Galpayage, Hemal Jayasuriya, Shihan de Silva 18:00 Roundtable Discussion 18:30 Wine Reception Download Programme Generously supported by the Coffin Trust Fund Advanced registration required by 17 June 2019 Standard ticket £10 | Students/Unwaged/Retired Free
30-Jan-2019	Sri Lanka Portuguese: Identity and Multilingualism & Film:Creole Cultures in the Indian Ocean Conférence et film sur les cultures créoles à Villejuif 30, Jan 2019 | Main News, News, Colloques, Événement, Séminaires Les membres de l’opération GD2 du Labex EFL sont heureux de vous inviter à une conférence de la chercheuse Shihan Desilva (School of Advanced Studies), ce vendredi 1 février 2019 sur le thème des cultures créoles du Sri-Lanka et de l’océan indien. La rencontre aura lieu de 12h45 à 14h15 en salle de conférence Haudricourt (Campus CNRS de Villejuif – bâtiment D). Programme de l’intervention : Conférence : “Sri Lanka Portuguese: Identity and Multilingualism” Portuguese trade expansion overseas and encounter with the East led to the evolution of Portuguese-based contact languages in both hemispheres of the world. Due to lack of official status and political and socioeconomic pressures, Asian Portuguese Creoles resulting from the earliest encounters in the sixteenth century are becoming moribund. Despite the Dutch and British who followed the Portuguese to Sri Lanka, creolised Portuguese continued to be spoken in the nineteenth century across the social spectrum. During the twentieth century, English displaced Sri Lanka Portuguese as the new lingua franca. The vitality and survival of Sri Lanka Portuguese on the margins, even after seventy years of independent rule, enable scholars to study this once important lingua franca. Today, Creole is spoken mainly by communities who consider themselves Portuguese descendants located in the Eastern Province, (Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Amparai). Intermarriages between the Portuguese and Sri Lankans led to generations of children who spoke creolised Portuguese as their mother-tongue. John Eaton, an advocate and member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was called by the British) who represented the Burghers (people of mixed ancestry – European and Sri Lankan), the most knowledgeable Sri Lankan correspondent of Hugo Schuchardt (father of Creole studies based at the University of Graz, Austria), refers to dialectal differences in Sri Lanka Portuguese. This paper concerns Sri Lanka Portuguese from a lesser known speech community in the Northwestern Province – the Afro-Sri Lankans who live in a village called Sirambiyadiya in the Puttalam district. Although the Creole-speaking Burgher communities are ethnically diverse they share a language (Sri Lanka Portuguese) and a religion (Roman Catholicism) which resulted from the Portuguese encounter in the sixteenth century. The political dynamics has threatened the survival and longevity of Creole, now an endangered language. Its status has been undermined by post-independent struggles for national identity reflected in language and educational policies. Mass education and socioeconomic development of the rural masses have brought the local languages (Sinhala, Tamil) to the fore. The impact of multilingualism on the Afro-Sri Lankan community will be discussed. Projection du film “Creole Cultures in the Indian Ocean” African diaspora studies are informed largely by studies on the Atlantic experience. ‘Creole Cultures in the Indian Ocean’ (2018, 20 minutes), a film directed by Dr Shihan de Silva (School of Advanced Study) connects the Afro-diasporic community in the western Indian Ocean with the southern part of this giant waterway through shared histories and migratory patterns. Focusing on the lesser known African diasporas in the Indian Ocean, cultural memories of the diaspora will be explored through music and dance which are played out within both secular and religious themes within the process of indigenisation. The Indian Ocean with its diversity has absorbed the migrants but there are communities who still identify with Africa. Music, dance and folk beliefs are alternatives to historical narratives and tools for migrants to negotiate new identities in the hostlands. Cultural memories connect Africans torn apart by the cruelties of the slave trade. Q & A/Discussion will follow. All welcome.
11-Jun-2018	Global Portuguese The global expansion of Portuguese language, literature and music Dr Shihan de Silva reports on the Global Portuguese symposium held at IMLR, Senate House, London in June 2018 On Monday 11 June 2018, the Institute of Modern Languages Research, School of Advanced Study, University of London, hosted a symposium on Global Portuguese in Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU. After opening remarks by Professor Catherine Davies (IMLR, School of Advanced Study), Dr Shihan de Silva (School of Advanced Study) set the scene for the afternoon in her introductory address. The aim of the symposium was to explore the global expansion of the Portuguese language, literature and music. The event was hugely successful drawing 46 participants, a mixture of senior academics, researchers, postgraduate students and members of the public. The symposium was timely given that the national day of Portugal was on 10th June and sentiments were high. The papers moved from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean. A joint paper by Dr Toby Green (King’s College London) and Dr Jose Ligna Nafafe (Bristol University) on ‘Lusotopian or Lusophone Atlantics? The Relevance of Transnational African Diasporas to the Question of Language and Culture’ was based on several years of research and their forthcoming book. A lively presentation by Nadia Kerecuk (Creator & Convenor of the Brazilian Bilingual Book Club at the Embassy of Brazil & Historian of Ideas in Language Sciences) reminded the delegates of the research potential of this massive land mass. Her paper “Exceptional cross-fertilization cycles of the Portuguese language in Brazil” revealed a myriad of sources for further research, the indigenous peoples of Brazil to LIngua Gerao, and the evolution of Brazilian Portuguese. Brazilian Portuguese stood in contrast to the writings of Mozambicans, through “From Nation to Imagination: Mia Couto and Language” by Professor David Brookshaw (Bristol University) who is the authority on Mia Couto’s works and has translated many of his books into English. Professor Stefan Halikowski-Smith (Swansea University) spoke on Thailand – “Creolization and Diaspora in the Portuguese Indies. The Social World of Ayutthaya, 1640-1720”, bringing to the fore a little known part of the unofficial Portuguese empire. His presentation was well illustrated with pictures from his book on the topic. This was complemented by Dr Shihan de Silva (School of Advanced Study) who spoke on “Hybridity in Postcolonial Music and Language in the Indian Ocean”. . A musical performance by Dr Marilyn Herman, Dr Hemal Jayasuriya, Mr Johan de Silva and Dr Shihan de Silva with guitar, drum, voice and piano crowned the event, not simply by livening up the afternoon but also by demonstrating cultural spillovers and the intangible heritage left by the Portuguese encounter. Finally, participants joined the speakers in a Roundtable Discussion. The event attracted media attention both in the UK and in Portugal. A Portuguese journalist reported on the forthcoming symposium and Dr Shihan de Silva was interviewed by a media consultant at Radio Televisao Portuguesa (RTP) who broadcast the interview on 11 June. The contribution made by the Coffin Fund towards this Symposium is gratefully acknowledged. Dr Shihan de Silva, School of Advanced Study Dr Shihan de SIlva is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London and her research focuses on migration, commerce and cultural exchange in the Indian Ocean; the Malay and Portuguese diasporas; the history of African migration eastwards and the origins of Afro-Asians including ethnomusicological and linguistic research. She serves on the editorial boards of African Diaspora and Transnationalism (Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers) and African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage (California: Left Coast Press).
13-Jun-2017	Indian Ocean Memories and African Migrants   We are delighted to invite you to the upcoming AFRASO Film Screening and Lecture in cooperation with the Frankfurt Memory Studies Platform: "Indian Ocean Memories and African Migrants" by Shihan de Silva (University of London). The film screening and lecture will take place on June, 13th in room CAS 1.801 (Casino, Campus Westend) from 12 pm - 2 pm. This lecture concerns the easterly movement of Africans both voluntary and involuntary. The better known westwards migration tends to colour the perceptions of the easterly movement. Archival sources together with narratives of the diasporists can contribute to recovering the lost past. Memories of the diasporists will be illustrated through a film entitled "Indian Ocean Memories and African Migrants", produced and directed by Dr Shihan de Silva in which she explores the cultural memories of the largest Afro-Sri Lankan community. Dances and songs in creolised Portuguese, a language of trade and commerce for 350 years in Sri Lanka, connect Afro-Sri Lankans to Africa, no longer an imagined homeland. Africans were prominent in the Indian Ocean World in various spheres but the majority of Afro-Asians have been pushed to the margins due to political changes and loss of patronage. Performing traditional art forms enable Afro-Sri Lankans to carve out a niche in the cultural arena of their hostland. Fading memories of slavery and the slave trade can still be heard in the narratives of their oral histories. They rekindle in East-West trade and colonial interventions in the Indian Ocean.   Dr Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (University of London), a member of the UNESCO International Scientific Committee (Paris) and an elected Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society (Great Britain & Ireland). She has a PhD (Linguistics), an MSc (Finance) and a BSc Honours (Economics) from the University of London. She is the author of eighty five peer-reviewed articles in international journals, and has also written eight books in the fields of Historical Linguistics, Ethnomusicology, Portuguese Studies, African Diaspora Studies and Ethnography. Among her publications are ‘The Portuguese in the East : A Cultural History of a Maritime Trading Empire’ (I B Tauris, London), ‘African Identity in Asia: Cultural Effects of Forced Migration’ (Markus Wiener, New Jersey) and 'The African diaspora in Asian trade routes and cultural memories' (Edwin Mellen Press, 2010). Shihan serves on the editorial boards of African Diaspora and Transnationalism (Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers) and African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage (California: Left Coast Press). 13. June 2017
06-Sep-2016	Music, Portuguese Culture and History An Evening of Music, Portuguese Culture & History Woburn Suite, G22/26 SENATE HOUSE, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU Tuesday 6th September 2016 Doors Open 6.15pm, Talk Starts 6.30pm Tickets: £8 (members)/£10 (non-members) Ticket price includes a glass of wine/soft drink Vasco de Gama’s voyage to India in the late 15th Century opened up new economic and cultural horizons for the Portuguese. At the height of Portugal’s maritime influence, it had created an oceanic state ranging from the Cape of Good Hope to China. In 1505, the Portuguese first visited Sri Lanka accidentally as they were windswept into the Galle harbour during their voyage to the Maldive Islands. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to make extensive contact with the Sri Lankans, establishing trading posts and fortresses in Sri Lanka from 1517 onwards. Interaction between the Portuguese and Sri Lankans has left several sociocultural imprints on the island. Dr Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya proffers the view that: “The Portuguese era marked the beginning of modern Sri Lanka. It changed Sri Lanka's orientation away from India and gave the island a distinct identity moulded by 450 years of western influence.” The Friends of Sri Lanka Association is delighted to invite Shihan to speak to our members and their guests at Senate House in London about her latest book: “The Portuguese in the East.” Her talk will focus on the Portuguese influences on Sri Lanka ranging from baila music, song and dance to linguistic impressions in the local languages, which signal the areas of cross-cultural contact. She will highlight the entanglements of the Portuguese, Dutch and British, through the Burgher communities, the Quadrilles and the Lancers and will also play baila to liven the evening. Shihan is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Britain. Formerly, Shihan was a Research Associate in the Department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies at King's College, University of London. Her books cover a wide range of expertise from diaspora studies, cultural history, historical linguistics to ethnomusicology. Shihan has delivered lectures all over the world including at the Royal Asiatic Society (London), UNESCO (Paris), Indian Ocean Centre (Berlin), Chatham House, National Army Museum, Docklands Museum and also lectured at numerous academic institutions including the universities of Cambridge, Colombo, Kobe and Vienna, to name a few.
29-Oct-2013	Voices of the Afro-Sri Lankans Voices of the Afro - Sri Lankans is an ethnographic film (70 minutes), produced and directed by Dr Shihan de Silva (Institute of Commonwealth Studies) . Ethiopians were trading in Mannar from the sixth century when Sri Lanka was an emporium in the Indian Ocean.  In the fourteenth century, Ibn Batuta found an Ethiopian force in the garrison of the ruler of Colombo. I nvoluntary movement of Africans is linked to European trade expansion and colonisation.  Africans performed a variety of tasks on the island, but oral histories associate their displacement with colonial armies. With resettlement, cultural transformation and creolisation was inevitable. Within this milieu, music and dance are signifiers of African-ness whilst their songs in creolised Portuguese, raise questions about their acculturation.  Musical talents have moved them from the periphery to the centre of society . Questions about their development remain to be addressed. Chair: Dr Regina dos Santos Duarte (Attaché for Education Affairs, Portuguese Embassy) Introduction Dr Shihan de Silva (Senior Fellow, Institute of Commonwealth Studies) Discussant s : Dr Marilyn Herman (Scholast ic Council Member, Aethiopological Society) Fatimah Kelleher ( International Social Development Consultant and Writer) Dr Nevill Linton (Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative) Andrea Deri ( Department of Geography, Environment and Development Studies , B irkbec k College ) Entrance free. For reservations please contact : shihan.desilva@sas.ac.uk
30-Jul-2013	Post-colonical Identity and Popular Music in Sri Lanka: Baila and Kaffrinha     International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Colombo cordially invites you to a lecture/discussion on Post-colonical Identity and Popular Music in Sri Lanka: Baila and Kaffrinha by Dr. Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya (Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies University of London) on Tuesday , July 30, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. at the ICES Auditorium, 2, Kynsey Terrace, Colombo 08 Dr Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (University of London), a member of the UNESCO International Scientific Committee (Paris) and an elected Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society (Great Britain & Ireland). She has a PhD (Linguistics), an MSc (Finance) and a BSc Honours (Economics) from the University of London. She is the author of eighty five peer-reviewed articles in international journals, and has also written eight books (six monographs and two edited books) in the fields of Historical Linguistics, Ethnomusicology, Portuguese Studies, African Diaspora Studies and Ethnography. Among her publications are ‘The Portuguese in the East: A Cultural History of a Maritime Trading Empire’ (I B Tauris, London) and ‘African Identity in Asia: Cultural Effects of Forced Migration’ (Markus Wiener, New Jersey). She has been chosen to lead the Portuguese programme of the World Bank Project on "Discourse Communities” at the University of Kelaniya (Sri Lanka). She has also been elected to the Management Committee of the Commonwealth Education Council (London). She has been invited to collaborate with the Hugo Schuchardt Archives concerned with Indo-Portuguese manuscripts at the University of Graz (Austria).
04-Jun-2013	Portuguese Influence in the East Venue: Tate South Lambeth Library Time: 7pm Vasco da Gama's voyage to India in the late 15th Century opened up new economic and cultural horizons for the Portuguese. At the height of Portugal's maritime influence it had created an oceanic state ranging from the Cape of Good Hope to China. Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya charts the influences of the Portuguese in more than fifty Asian tongues, illustrating the extent of Lusitanian links - cultural legacies that are an unexpected outcome of seaborne commerce.
24-May-2013	Leonard Woolf Symposium
11-Apr-2013	African Soldiers, Governors, Nawabs and Cultural Brokers in South Asia https://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/about-us/news/dr-shihan-de-silva-african-soldiers-governors-nawabs-and-cultural-brokers-south-asia 11th April 2013 at 6.00 pm at the Royal Asiatic Society   14 Stephenson Way London NW1 2HD United Kingdom Click here for map T: +44 (0)20 7388 4539 F: +44 (0)20 7391 9429
28-Feb-2013	Migration across the Oceanic Worlds: Diasporas & Discourses Thursday 28 February at 5.45 pm   This event explores the drivers of commerce and migration and the knock on effects of diasporas on the local cultural scene through historical narratives, oral accounts and the voices of the migrants themselves and those affected by transculturation and postcolonial innovations.
28-Feb-2013	Migration across the Oceanic Worlds: Diasporas and Discourses Th is eve nt e xplore s the drivers of commerce and migration and the k nock on effects o f diasporas on the local cultural scene through historical narratives , oral accounts and the voices of the migrants themselves and those affected by transculturation and postcoloni al innovations. Entrance free but please RSVP to: shihan.desilva@sas.ac.uk
22-Feb-2013	“We’re Indian and African”: Sidis of India The diverse circumstances of African migration to India, their roles and achievements, their current status, issues of identity and belonging will be addressed. The Lecture will be followed by the screening of two documentary films: “We’re Indian and African”: Voices of the Sidis   (22 minutes) Produced by Beheroze Shroff (University of California, Irvine, USA) This film explores the lives of the Sidis in Gujarat. Sidi men and women speak about the challenges they face as caretakers of the shrine of their ancestral saint Bava Gor. The Sidis also discuss their sacred Goma-Dhammal dance performed for devotees and spectators. The film also gives a glimpse into the spiritual legacy of the Sidis through the Parsi devotees of Bava Gor in Bombay. Voices of the Sidis: Ancestral Links (26 minutes) Produced by Beheroze Shroff (University of California, Irvine, USA) In this engaging portrait of an urban Sidi family in Bombay (Maharashtra), Babubhai traces his ancestry to Zanzibar. He also reminisces about his work as a stuntman in Bollywood films. Babubhai’s wife, Fatimaben, narrates her grandmother’s work in a Hindu royal court. Their daughter, Heena, speaks about issues of identity in contemporary India.
30-Jan-2013	History on Film: Slavery & The African Diaspora from a Global Perspective  30 January, 20 February and 27 February Our film series and panel discussions with the filmmakers propose to make visible people of African descent in India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Brazil, Benin and along the Swahili Coast in East Africa. By including films from the South Atlantic World, Indian Ocean World and Africa, we aim to throw light on the points of origin and destination of slaves. Rarely in the history of slavery has it been possible to correlate the trajectories of the home societies of slaves and the slave regime at the destination. Slavery has also been all too often studied in isolation from Africa. The focus has mainly been on the North Atlantic World. Indeed, the cultural dimension of Diasporas has long been observed in the North Atlantic World, but it has received only scant attention within the context of emancipated slave communities elsewhere. By combining the two oceanic worlds, the films and the discussion panels aim at questioning these biases. They examine the processes of integration and assimilation in the different African Diasporas, and how these communities produced diasporic cultural spheres which today surely constitute memoryscapes of the history of slavery. Organised by Dr Marie Rodet (SOAS), Dr Shihan de Silva (Institute of Commonwealth Studies), Dr Parvathi Raman (SOAS), Dr Dina Matar, (SOAS), Angelica Baschiera (SOAS).
21-Jan-2013	Encounters, Cultural Flows and Hybridity in the Indian Ocean Abstract European Intervention of Indian Ocean trade commencing in the late fifteenth century resulted in unpredictable effects on the cultures of the people in the region. Encounters of the Portuguese, the first westerners to engage in commerce with South Asians are studied through historical sources. But these sources are insufficient and other means must be explored. This paper reconsiders the Portuguese encounter in the region taking into account material culture. Homi Bhabha pointed out that the meaning and symbols of culture have no primordial unity or fixity; the same signs can be appreciated, translated, rehistoricised, and read anew. The notion of hybridity as applied to cross-cultural outcomes will be interrogated.
17-Jan-2013	Gondar's Child: Songs, Honor & Identity Among Ethiopian Jews In Israel The Centre of African Studies, University of London, is pleased to invite you to the launch of Gondar's Child: Songs, Honor & Identity Among Ethiopian Jews In Israel With author Marilyn Herman Chaired by Dr Shihan de Silva (Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London) 17 January 2013 5pm-6.30pm Room 4421 College Buildings SOAS, University of London Part of CAS African Seminar Series   About the book In Ethiopia, Ethiopian Jews were attributed with dishonourable status because of their perceived dissociation from the land.  Yet they derived their self-ascribed honour from their link with Israel, expressed through their name:  Betä Israel (“House of Israel”).     In the Israeli context, the Betä Israel’s association with Ethiopia constitutes both a limiting factor to their honour, leading to a concern among Betä Israel with the image of their ethnic group, and constitutes also a medium for the pursuit of honour.  It is in these terms, and in its concern to progress, that the Betä Israel Band of Porachat HaTikva (Blossoming Hope) is viewed as a microcosm of Bet Israel society in Israel.  As such, the Band is portrayed as expressive of a shift taking place in Betä Israel identity in Israel in terms of gender and generational relationships, and of the discursiveness between values in tune with their traditional village identity and those they associate with the “decadent” Ethiopian town.     Traditional Ethiopian song-types which form the repertoire of the Band are turned to the Israeli context of the time, amid major international political events, including the first Gulf War.  Through the adaptation and performance of these songs, honourable values – heroism, patriotism, and honourable expressions of love, are attributed to the Betä Israel, and the Band in particular. Among these songs, those of reminiscence and relating to their migration to Israel provide the focus for various perspectives on this migration, from the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, to the painful memories of a land of birth and history, where family members were left behind. About the author Marilyn Herman received her D.Phil in Social Anthropology from the University of Oxford.  She has tutored at Oxford University, taught at San Francisco State University, and has carried out in-depth research relating to Ethiopian Jewish music and society, and to Jewish music and society in Yemen in relation to gender and ethnicity.   ALL WELCOME
18-Oct-2012	African Diaspora in Asia: Cultural Survivals, Codes and Signifiers This event explore s a small part of the diaspora, in order to understand the diversity of South Asians of African descent. The presentations on India and Sri Lanka are based on field work by scholars . T he oral histories and contemporary status of Afro - Asians is articulated by those of African descent th emselves known by various names in the region . Entrance free but please RSVP to: shihan.desilva@sas.ac.uk
18-Oct-2012	Afro-Sri Lankan Music and Dance: Codes and Signifiers. Institute of Commonwealth Studies, London.  18 October 2012.
04-Oct-2012	Portuguese Cultural Symbols in Asia. The Anglo-Portuguese Society, Canning House, Belgrave Square, London.  4 October 2012.
09-Mar-2012	Africans in India The diverse circumstances of African migration to India, their roles and achievements, their current status, issues of identity and belonging will be addressed. The Lecture will be followed by the screening of two documentary films: “We’re Indian and African”: Voices of the Sidis (22 minutes) Produced by Beheroze Shroff (University of California, Irvine, USA) This film explores the lives of the Sidis in Gujarat. Sidi men and women speak about the challenges they face as caretakers of the shrine of their ancestral saint Bava Gor. The Sidis also discuss their sacred Goma-Dhammal dance performed for devotees and spectators. The film also gives a glimpse into the spiritual legacy of the Sidis through the Parsi devotees of Bava Gor in Bombay. Voices of the Sidis: Ancestral Links (26 minutes) Produced by Beheroze Shroff (University of California, Irvine, USA) In this engaging portrait of an urban Sidi family in Bombay (Maharashtra), Babubhai traces his ancestry to Zanzibar. He also reminisces about his work as a stuntman in Bollywood films. Babubhai’s wife, Fatimaben, narrates her grandmother’s work in a Hindu royal court. Their daughter, Heena, speaks about issues of identity in contemporary India. Discussion/Q & A Session Chair: Dr David Taylor (SOAS & Institute of Commonwealth Studies All Welcome Organiser: Centres & Programmes Office Contact email: centres@soas.ac.uk Contact Tel: 020 7898 4892/3
01-Jan-2012	Afro-Indians in Gujarat: Traditions, Identity and Culture Speakers: Dr Eiluned Edwards, Nottingham Trent University Dr Shihan de Silva, Institute of Commonwealth Studies Chair: Dr Marie Rodet, School of Oriental & African Studies Venue: Room 349 (SH) Venue Details: This room is located on the third floor of Senate House.
01-Jan-2012	Luso-Asian Spaces: Portuguese-speaking Communities in Sri Lanka The Portuguese-speaking communities in the Indian Ocean World are a reminder of the Portuguese interaction in Asian trade. There are only a few such communities. Even though Creole Portuguese (Indo-Portuguese) is endangered in Sri Lanka, it has survived through socio-political changes over five centuries. Indo-Portuguese is an important part of the identity of people who have a tenuous link to Portugal. Considering language, ethnicity and identity, this lecture will focus on people of Portuguese descent and also those of African descent in Sri Lanka. It concerns the communities responsible for the survival, against all odds, of Indo-Portuguese for half a millennium.
01-Jan-2012	Portuguese-speaking Communities in Sri Lanka The 42nd lecture in the Monthly Lecture series of the National Trust of Sri Lanka will be held at the HNB Auditorium, 22nd Floor, HNB Towers, 479 T.B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10 at 6.30 p.m. on Thursday 26th July 2012. Portuguese-speaking communities in the Indian Ocean World are a reminder of the Lusitanian intervention in Asian trade. The contact language, Indo-Portuguese of Ceylon or Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole, was once an important lingua franca. Today it is endangered but, against all odds, it still survives. Indo-Portuguese plays an important role in the lives of people who have a tenuous link to Portugal. This lecture will focus on the Portuguese-speaking peoples of Sri Lanka whose roots are diverse but whose histories are entangled.
01-Jan-2012	Sri Lanka Communities with Lusitanian Linguistic Links This lecture is concerned with the communities who speak Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole. Indo-Portuguese of Ceylon or Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole, was once an important lingua franca. Though predicted to have become extinct, Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole still survives, against all odds. Indo-Portuguese speakers are ethnically different, but their histories are entwined. The Portuguese encounter with Sri Lanka which began five centuries ago was brief and ceased in the mid-seventeenth century. Two further waves of Europeans washed over the shores of Sri Lanka but Lusitanian linguistic links remain strong. This lecture highlights the important role of the Creole-speaking communities in the transmission of Portuguese linguistic elements to the local languages.
01-Jan-2012	India’s Connections with Africa through History and Film.   Trinidad & Tobago High Commission.  31 October 2012.
01-Jan-2012	Commonwealth Research Seminar Series Convenor with Dr Susan Williams at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. This seminar series provides an opportunity for Fellows and Students at ICwS to share and discuss with each other their work in progress on subjects relating to the Commonwealth and its concerns. The spirit is informal and friendly and everyone is welcome, including scholars outside the ICwS community.
20-Jul-2011	Trade Routes, Migration and Cultural Transformation A conference held on Wednesday 20th July 2011
11-Apr-2011	Connecting the Oceans: Music of the African Diaspora In collaboration with Yaram Arts: a music workshop
01-Jan-2011	Indians of African descent: Music and Identity. A workshop in collaboration with Yaram Arts
01-Jan-2011	Sidis of Gujarat: Maintaining Traditions and Building Community In her latest film (53 minutes), Beheroze Shroff (University of California, Irvine, USA), highlights distinctive traditions of the Sidis (Afro-Indians) of Gujarat in north India. The annual urs celebration to consecrate the sacred stream at the shrine of the Sidi Saint, Bava Gor , the Khichdi (rice) ceremony to Mai Mishra (sister of Bava Gor), the Balka ceremony (where Sidi men & women are initiated as Fakirs) and the goma dance (both as spectacle and as sacred ritual), are captured. Along with the celebration and festivities, Sidis voice their concerns as they struggle to maintain their traditions and also earn a livelihood with dignity. 5.45-6.00 pm Gujarat, the Land, Gujaratis, the People and Gujarati, the Language Bhadra Vadgama (Secretary General, Gujarati Literary Academy) 6 6.00- 6.15 pm Traditons of the Sidis in Gujarat Shihan de Silva (Senior Fellow, Institute of Commonwealth Studies) 6.15-7.10 pm Sidis of Gujarat: Maintaining Traditions and Building Community Beheroze Shroff (University of California, Irvine, USA) 7.10-7.45 pm Discussion/Q & A session (Chair: Michael Kandiah, King’s College London)
01-Jan-2011	Commonwealth Research Seminar Series Convenor with Dr Susan Williams at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. This seminar series provides an opportunity for Fellows and Students at ICwS to share and discuss with each other their work in progress on subjects relating to the Commonwealth and its concerns. The spirit is informal and friendly and everyone is welcome, including scholars outside the ICwS community.
01-Jan-2011	The African Diaspora in Asian Trade Routes and Cultural Memories Royal African Society - Book Launch.
01-Jan-2011	Portuguese Linguistic Imprints in India and Sri Lanka A Lecture delivered at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Colombo, Sri Lanka
01-Jan-2011	From Invisibility to Visibility: Africans in Portuguese Space African movement to Asia has gone on for centuries and many migrants have assimilated with the local populations. Within historical documents, Africans become conspicuous through their military role. Moreover, there are Afro-Asian communities today, separated by vast distances and hidden in the villages and forests of Asia. Through their vibrant forms of music and lyrics still in Portuguese, they emerge from obscurity. Concentrating on Africans who moved within Portuguese space in India, Sri Lanka, Macau and Timor this presentation will highlight the way in which the migratory process took place and affected their lives.
01-Jan-2010	Commonwealth Research Seminar Series Convenor with Dr Susan Williams at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. This seminar series provides an opportunity for Fellows and Students at ICwS to share and discuss with each other their work in progress on subjects relating to the Commonwealth and its concerns. The spirit is informal and friendly and everyone is welcome, including scholars outside the ICwS community.
01-Jan-2010	Africans in Asia: From the Periphery to the Core University of Cambridge, Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) History Season: Annual Lecture
01-Jan-2010	South Asia's Africans: Forgotten People Oxford Centre for Mission Studies: The Montagu Barker Lecture
01-Jan-2009	Commonwealth Research Seminar Series Convenor with Dr Susan Williams the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. This seminar series provides an opportunity for Fellows and Students at ICwS to share and discuss with each other their work in progress on subjects relating to the Commonwealth and its concerns. The spirit is informal and friendly and everyone is welcome, including scholars outside the ICwS community.

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