The Everyday in Citizens’ Protests: In Conversation with Tashiya de Mel

On 31 March 2022, the citizens of Sri Lanka took to the streets to protest against the economic and political climate caused by the Rajapaksa regime, which has been prevailing for decades. The citizens’ movement continued for months as they raised their voices against price hikes of essential goods, mandatory power cuts and hour-long queues for petrol and gas. After three decades of civil war and many continuous instances of communal violence and microaggression, the citizens came together in solidarity to demand the resignation of (then) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Beginning on a small scale, the movement soon grew to encompass the infamous area in Central Colombo designated by the Rajapaksa government as a “protest site”, reclaiming it by renaming it “Gotagogama” (Gota Go Home).

Tashiya de Mel is a documentary photographer, communications specialist and conservationist. She uses visual storytelling to create narratives that drive social change and highlight the impact of socio-economic and environmental issues in Sri Lanka. Noticing the significance of the protests as a moment in history, she created a series of photographs that capture their peaceful nature. Her images depict a range of participants—from citizens who used megaphones to spread awareness, to men breaking their fast at a protest site during Ramadan, to a family holding up placards with the quintessential slogan “Gota Go Home!”

de Mel’s work comprises a small part of a larger archive that has accumulated in almost every Sri Lankan’s news, social media, and smartphones. As an artist and activist, de Mel facilitates impactful visual storytelling within this archive by highlighting everyday citizens as participants. Her images achieve a layered and nuanced portrayal of the protests as they find significance in the mundane within a not-so-mundane moment in Sri Lankan history.

(Featured image: A peaceful protester leads a chant at a gathering in Diyatha Uyana. Photography by Tashiya de Mel. Colombo, Sri Lanka, 6 April 2022. Image courtesy of the artist.)

This conversation was recorded on 5 June 2022.

To learn about other forms of art and activism in Sri Lanka, listen to Minal Naomi Wickrematunge in conversation with Pramodha Weerasekera about her practice.

All images courtesy of the artist.