Discovering the Heart of Galle Fort: A Journey Through Time and Culture with Ceylon Soul
The iDiscover Asia program, by the Netherlands-based organization iDiscover, documents and showcases the cultural and historical heritage of fort cities along the Sri Lankan coast. Utilizing photography and film, this initiative captures and transforms the unique narratives and historical significances of these locations into engaging digital narratives.
I Discover Asia Workshop
iDiscover is a Netherlands-based organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Asian cultural heritage. It engages local and international communities through innovative mapping projects, creating digital narratives that highlight and preserve the unique identities of Asian cities. Learn more on their website.
Role
As a visual storytelling mentor in the iDiscover Asia program, I facilitated the storytelling process, teaching students how to capture and narrate their cultural heritage effectively. Fluent in Tamil, Sinhala, and English, I was pivotal in bridging cultural and linguistic gaps between local and international students. The inclusion of 12 Dutch university students in the Jaffna project underlined the importance of cross-cultural collaboration and brought complexity and depth to our research, enhancing both the learning experience and the project's outcomes.
Final Product
Our collaborative efforts have been synthesized into a rich collection of digital content on the iDiscover Asia website, featuring interactive maps and multimedia stories. These artifacts not only serve as educational resources but also as tools for global advocacy, promoting a deeper understanding of Sri Lanka’s cultural and historical heritage. The engagement between local and international students, guided by the iDiscover methodology, emphasized the value of cross-cultural exchanges and enriched the research, providing a comprehensive perspective on the regions studied.