Sunday Times 2
‘Echoes of Palestine’ to be held in Colombo on January 13
View(s):COLOMBO – The Sri Lanka Committee for Solidarity with Palestine (SLCSP), in collaboration with the Embassy of the State of Palestine to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, will host a literary and cultural programme titled ‘Echoes of Palestine’ on Tuesday, January 13, at the Lighthouse Auditorium of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute, Colombo 7.
The event, from 4-6 pm, will mark the launch of the book The Heritage of the Homeland Trampled by a Superpower – Palestine, authored by Imthiaz Bakeer Markar, former Minister and former Co-Chairman of the Sri Lanka Committee for Solidarity with Palestine. The publication is a carefully curated selection of 8 inspiring and thought-provoking speeches made in Parliament on Palestine, along with a newspaper column, reflecting decades of advocacy for justice, international law, and the rights of oppressed peoples.
The book addresses a wide range of themes, including the call for the suspension of relations with Israel until it complies with world public opinion; the lived reality of violence in Palestine and the resilience of its victims; the principle that foreign policy must be grounded in the welfare of humanity; the misuse of veto power against global public opinion; the urgent need to strengthen international institutions for peace and economic justice; and the importance of the UN in safeguarding small states. It also includes reflections described as a ‘textbook of genocide’, questioning global indifference.
The book will be reviewed by a panel comprising former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, former President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka Upul Jayasuriya, Professor Harendra de Silva – Emeritus Professor at the Department of Paediatrics, University of Colombo, former Chairman of the National Child Protection Authority – and former Sri Lanka Ambassador and political analyst Dr Dayan Jayatilleka.
The programme will also feature a theatrical performance titled ‘For a Palestinian’, a one-person play written by Bilal Hasna and Aaron Kilercioglu, directed by Akmal Hamid, and performed by Murthaaz Abdul Barry. The performance explores themes of belonging, heritage, and love through the life of Wa’el Zuaiter, a Palestinian intellectual in the 1960s.
‘Echoes of Palestine’ brings together literature, critical reflection, and performance to foster deeper public engagement with the Palestinian question and to reaffirm Sri Lanka’s long-standing tradition of solidarity rooted in international law and global justice.
- Sri Lanka Committee for
Solidarity with Palestine