The Portuguese Identity of the Afro-Sri Lankans.

The Afro-Sri Lankans are an ethnic minority who have long been overlooked and have received little academic attention. They are a marginalised group, part of a culture which is undergoing rapid assimilation, and any information that we have at present about them may be lost if it is not recorded. There is as yet no adequate history of the Afro-Sri Lankans. The three waves of European colonisers (Portuguese, Dutch and British) that came to the shores of Sri Lanka brought Africans with them to this island in the Indian Ocean. This paper focuses on the largest Afro-Sri Lankan contemporary community. Since Sri Lanka regained its independence, the Afro-Sri Lankans have had to cope with the socio-political changes that have occurred in postcolonial Sri Lanka. The Portuguese identity of the Afro-Sri Lankans is expressed through language, religion, music, song and dance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]