…Wait - you are what?! 🤯

…wait - you are what?! 🤯

‍

That is often the response when I tell people that, by ethnicity, I’m a Dutch Burgher. 🇱🇰 🇳🇱 When I say I’m from Sri Lanka (short answer - see previous posts), those in the know will sometimes ask - ‘Oh, are you Sinhala or Tamil’?

‍

Actually, I am neither. I am a Dutch Burgher —a (privileged) product of #colonialism. It still surprises me how little people in my current home, The Netherlands, know about the continued influence the 🇳🇱 has on 🇱🇰. Thanks to, and inspired by, the wonderful Shiva Roofeh, I’m currently exploring my #ancestry. As I travel around Sri Lanka - I will share bits of my journey with you. There is a lot to unpack and process- but for now here's a few pictures as I let it all simmer.

‍

The Galle Fort has always been one of my favourite places in the world, and the Dutch colonial influence pours out of every nook and cranny. 🌍 Have you heard of Dutch Burghers before? Did you know that Sri Lanka was a Dutch colony for 150 years?

‍