My association with the British Council began when we embarked on a musical project together with The South Bank Centre in London called Beats Without Boundaries (Alchemy on tour). This was a showcase of hip-hop music from across Asia in collaboration with British artists on stages across many cities in the UK. I was really impressed by the fact that the British Council does so much work to fund arts and culture.
Since the first project I worked on with the British Council, we have gone on to create a strong partnership. I had the privilege of curating music for The Women of the World festival (WOW) which was held for the first time in Sri Lanka in 2017. British Council has also funded two music video projects of mine initiated by the ‘Voices and Choices’ fund based on suicide prevention and gender-based violence. We are working together to educate the women and the youth on these important and sensitive issues that people in Sri Lanka face daily.
I was really impressed by the fact that the British Council does so much work to fund arts and culture.
Meeting with a group of power women in their own fields of expertise on a weekly basis to curate the WOW fest was an unforgettable experience. This also created a network within the arts community in Sri Lanka and helped us to expand and collaborate on creative ideas for the festival.
I believe that the British Council has brought value to cultural relationships in Sri Lanka. It has been a great privilege for me to work with the team at the British Council and I look forward to collaborating with them to create more projects that push cultural barriers in Sri Lanka and represent the voice of youth and women across the island.