Sellankandal
Encyclopedia
Sellankandal is a village situated 10 km inland from coastal Puttalam
city in the Northwestern Province of Sri Lanka
. It is the primary settlement of people of Black African
descent in Sri Lanka
called Kaffirs who until the 1930's spoke a Creole version of Portuguese. Most villages speak Sinhala and are found throughout the country as well as in the Middle East. The Baila
type of music, very popular in Sri Lanka since the 1980s, originated centuries ago among this 'kaffir' community. They however complain that they benefitted very little from the popularity of the Baila music.
Puttalam
Puttalam is the capital city of the Puttalam District in North Western Province, Sri Lanka.-History:The history of this dry zone dates back to the arrival of Prince Vijaya, nearly 2500 years ago, when his vessel washed ashore. The name "Puttalam" may be a modification of the Tamil word Uppuththalam...
city in the Northwestern Province of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. It is the primary settlement of people of Black African
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
descent in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
called Kaffirs who until the 1930's spoke a Creole version of Portuguese. Most villages speak Sinhala and are found throughout the country as well as in the Middle East. The Baila
Baila
Baila is a form of dance music popular on the island of Sri Lanka. The genre originated centuries ago among the 'kaffir' or Afro-Sinhalese communities and was later amalgamated with European instruments and eastern and western rhythms, especially rhythms found in Spain and northern European folk...
type of music, very popular in Sri Lanka since the 1980s, originated centuries ago among this 'kaffir' community. They however complain that they benefitted very little from the popularity of the Baila music.