History of Sri Lanka: the Importance of Connecting Our Past With the Future

Abstract

The history of a nation has many facets, and it could also be identified as a project of branding the name of that nation by its historians. Sri Lanka, with a longstanding history, culture, and splendid traditions bears evidence of human evolution that dates to at least 125,000 years. There is strong evidence of written records of important texts in the 1st Century AD with the writing of Tripitaka, the Buddhist doctrinal texts, launched at the Matale Alu Vihare by King Walagamba (103-77 B.C.). Sri Lanka’s written history began in the 03rd to 4th Century AD in the form of the Deepawamsa shortly followed by the Mahawamsa in the 6th Century AD. Subsequently, there were many historical chronicles that were produced during different eras. These records reveal that throughout the history of Sri Lanka, the island has engaged with foreign nations in both trade and diplomacy. Trade has been a major part of ancient Sri Lanka’s economic functions and has had a constant influence on the development and culture of the island nation. Diplomacy in ancient times - although not as prevalent in its modern form- had been a salient feature of Sri Lanka’s historical record. Numerous world-famous travellers have highly praised Sri Lanka’s serendipity, and their records vouch for the high-value brand image that Sri Lanka possessed throughout the past. However, the emergence of the terrorist conflict and its aftermath have created a substantial defame for the positive image of Sri Lanka in the recent past. These new narratives have created an unhealthy condition for the tourism and Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) sectors of the nation. This paper problematizes the anomalies of the brand image of pre-and postconflict Sri Lanka. The author argues the importance of connecting the past with the future to create foresight to regain the image value of Sri Lanka. Since foresight work is all about anticipating and creating alternative futures, Sri Lanka can anticipate the emerging futures by understanding the trends in the historical record. According to the author, this will enable the country to think of possible probable and preferred futures. It is an upstream approach, executed by scanning the historical environment that is supposed to deliver better results.