The Sri Lankan Culture Collective

A festival of Sri Lankan culture for South Asian Heritage Month

The Sri Lankan Culture Collective. It’s an initiative set up by Rosh Olivelle, Thana Sivasambu and myself to showcase contemporary Sri Lankan culture and to celebrate Sri Lankan identity as part of South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM).

SAHM runs from 18 July - 17 August and we’ve been awarded a micro-grant from Wandsworth Council to support this celebration of heritage and identity.

Since announcing our event on Instagram, we’ve been blown away by the response. People have messaged us with offers of help, and our waitlist is growing by the day.

We’re busy putting the final touches to the event. This is how it’s shaping up.

During SAHM we’re curating a digital programme: 

• A playlist of Sri Lankan music by Sri Lankan music PR, Indy Vidyalankara 

• An online screening of Jei Planivel’s short documentary about ‘Kool Chronicles’ (a seafood dish from Jaffna)

• Mark Machado from Murali End the Sri Lankan cricketing podcaster will produce a special SAHM episode

• And finally, there will be SAHM  episodes of ‘Tea with Tooting Mama. I will talk to my fellow Sri Lankans Rosh Olivelle from Hop & Roll, Thana Sivasambu from Ruci Foods and Krishanti Puwanarajah from MUVs ALLDAY about their Sri Lankan heritage, culture and of course food.

Festival of Sri Lankan food and culture

The celebrations will culminate with an in-person event on 22 September, at the Battersea Barge, Nine Elms Lane, London SW11 8PZ.

Starting at 11.30 we will run a one-day festival of Sri Lankan contemporary culture.  

• Rosh from Hop And Roll will lead a hopper-making workshop followed by lunch by Krish and Joey from MUVS ALLDAY

• A hands-on sari draping workshop by Mehala Ford of the Friday Sari Project with pop up shop

• Talks and Q&As with representatives from the Sri Lankan creative community

• A curated lineup of comedy, Hari Kanth and friends. Hari was finalist in the BBC Newcomer Awards.

• Music by incredible artists like Arjun Nala, Toulip Wonder and Nush.

• Award winning restaurant, Colombo Kitchen are joining us to make kotthu roti! You can’t miss this!

And, I would love you to be there

I’m thrilled because if you come, I will get to meet you! And together we can enjoy this immersive experience into Sri Lankan culture.

Tickets are now on sale with an early bird offer which runs until 6 August.

The Sri Lankan Culture Collective

Rosheana Olivelle, Thana Sivasambu and me, we are the Sri Lankan Culture Collective sharing our passion for Sri Lankan heritage, culture and food. 

• Rosh is the founder of hop_roll selling hopper kits, running classes and supper clubs 

• Thana Sivasambu is the founder of rucifoods an award-winning Sri Lankan chutney, pickle and sambol brand 

• You know me, Ranji Thangiah, founder of tootingmama a food writer, photographer and recipe developer. I’m a recipe columnist for Sri Lanka’s Hi! Magazine and I’ve been featured in the Metro.

The Sri Lankan Culture Collective is being run in partnership with Hera Project X Sri Lanka an initiative to reframe and update the narrative about Sri Lanka. This island with a rich cultural heritage fusing indigenous and colonial aspects, is often portrayed as a developing economy solely reliant on global markets to stay afloat. The reality is a dynamic, innovative population that is vibrant and forward-thinking, driven by a powerbase of creative entrepreneurs. 

This is a not-for-profit event all profits will be donated to a Wandsworth food bank.