LETTER FROM
THE EDITOR

Dear Reader,

We’ve reflected deeply on matrilineage, questioning, and even meaning-making before, but there is merit still in looking a little more closely at the stories women weave into everyday life - an archive hidden in plain sight.

In this month’s newsletter, we look at the different ways in which women record the stories that matter to them. We look beyond the first-person, individual accounts that make up the feminist theory around memory work, to the embodied and affective legacies in the form of women’s spaces, art, recipes, and caregiving.

A women-run masjid in the Maldives, the sisters reanimating their childhood through Instagram, the pioneer coaching a whole generation of women to become swim coaches: these offer only a small glimpse of the promise that the matriarchive holds, but hopefully they whet your appetite to find more of the same.

We hope that in the reading, viewing and listening recommendations this newsletter offers, you appreciate the rich tapestry of memory-work that surrounds you, and begin to create legacies of your own.

We remain eager, as always, to hear your thoughts and feedback - do share them with us at [email protected]!

In solidarity,
Chathuni Uduwela
Guest Editor - 2025 Issue IV

قِصَّة
Narratives of Muslim Women

Narratives of Muslim Women brought together the works of four Muslim women artists who explore the gendered experiences of Sri Lankan Muslim women through different lenses. Through visual and textual storytelling, they examine the lives of Muslim girls and women—their capacity to define complex identities and craft authentic narratives beyond what is imposed by patriarchal figures. It also delved into the weight of women's lived experiences—the burdens carried, the resilience forged, and the struggles endured.

The exhibition acknowledged the complexities of a faith where Muslim women have historically held positions of power and been recognized as man's twin equal, yet whose rights are often overlooked in present-day Islamic society.

As the Quran states:

"And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women." (2:226)

At its core, this exhibition provided a safe space for women to reclaim and redefine their identities beyond inherited or assigned roles. The first iteration of the exhibition in Colombo was set in a Muslim locality, inviting women from the local community to witness these images and stories, reflect on their own experiences, and engage in dialogue about the evolving realities of their lives.

This exhibition intersected with ongoing conversations and reforms within the Sri Lankan Muslim community, particularly regarding child marriages and the reform of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA). By amplifying women's voices and perspectives, the exhibition hopes to spark critical discussions on autonomy, representation, and the right to self-determination.

The two-day exhibition held at the Muslim Ladies Study Circle welcomed over 100 visitors. Many shared positive feedback, expressing how the space offered a sense of reflection and recognition while raising awareness about the lived experiences of Sri Lankan Muslim women. The exhibition was also accompanied by a series of public programs: a learning circle with Sisterhood Initiative on the legal, social, and personal challenges uniquely impacting Sri Lankan Muslim women, a workshop with Fearless artist Vicky Shahjehan on Henna: a way of storytelling, as well as a workshop that used crochet as a form of creating space for sharing stories.

This exhibition and the programmes were funded by the Baturu Incubator.

thelocalliving

8,023 followers

View more on Instagram

THIS MONTH
WE’RE READING

Stay, Daughter by Yasmin Azad

American-Sri Lankan author Yasmin Azad’s memoir recounts her childhood, the tight-knit orthodoxy within which she came of age, and the challenges she surmounted as one of the first girls in her community in the Galle Fort to go away from home to pursue university education.

In recounting her experience, Azad also paints a picture of the community that raised her: serving as a rare piece of memory-work close to home and spanning several generations of the author’s family.

THIS MONTH WE’RE WATCHING

Paradise

In Paradise, Ammu and Keshav, a young Indian couple, visits Sri Lanka on holiday amid a deepening economic crisis and widespread protests. When the couple is robbed at their idyllic holiday home, they enlist the support of local police to apprehend the criminals. In their haste to solve the case, the police make several missteps that lead to simmering tensions between the local community and the tourists.

The film places the couple’s marriage under close scrutiny, contrasting Ammu’s disapproving silence in the face of Keshav’s bad behavior with her vocal defense of Sita’s role and legacy vis a vis the Ramayana. Paradise ends with a twist that speaks to Ammu’s frustrations and marks her acting to ensure hers will not be a legacy of silent subservience like that of her foremother: a legacy in its own right

Paradise was directed by Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage and was an Indian-Sri Lankan co-produced project. It released in 2023 to international acclaim.

nowness

2M followers

View more on Instagram

THIS MONTH WE’RE DOING

OPPORTUNITIES

FOLLOW US
& STAY IN TOUCH!

Did you find anything in our newsletter you’d like to share with your friends and family? Our Team at Everystory Sri Lanka would love our content to be shared with as many Sri Lankan women and girls as we can reach!

Share and subscribe to our Newsletter  
Click here to subscribe to our Newsletter

Instagram: @everystory.sl

Facebook: @Everystory Sri Lanka