The island nation of Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. As with any economic crisis, the roots of the problem lie in economic and policy decisions taken by successive governments over the years. However, it was only towards the end of March that the world began to wake up to the trouble brewing in the country. Hit by a shortage of everything from paper to fuel to medicine, common people took to the streets in protest. In early April, most of the cabinet resigned. Gotabaya Rajapaksa remains the president of the country even as protestors call for his ouster. When the protests turned violent, the president Mahinda Rajapaksa, resigned from the prime minister’s post earlier this month, and Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has held this post before, was sworn in.    

The root cause of the country’s economic problem is its inability to pay back its debt, which runs to trillions of dollars, because its foreign reserves are at an all-time low. But what exactly does this mean? Who does it affect the most? And how are those most affected reimagining their lives right now? Women form the core labour of some of the biggest sectors of Sri Lanka’s economy, including tea plantation and garment-making. They also form the bulk of the migrant labour going to other countries to work. Feminist economists in Sri Lanka are concerned that even as the country finds its way back, most likely through a debt restructuring arrangement with the International Monetary Fund, women will still bear the brunt because social spending will be hit. But this is only one part of it.  

To understand the situation on ground, I spoke to Sarala Emmanuel, a development practitioner and researcher based in Batticaloa in eastern Sri Lanka, over a period of two months. Sarala is associated with a women’s rights group called the Suriya Women’s Development Centre.  She works on issues of food security and reproductive healthcare for rural women and women who are part of the informal workforce.  

The first time I spoke to Sarala was at the start of April, when large parts of the country were facing long power cuts as the government’s supply of fuel was running low.  

Part 1

00..00 to 1.04 (So Sarala, what is happening on the ground right now? .. petrol transport, etc.)

02.04 to 02.36 (Women have cut down on meals…children are not having milk)

02.50 to 03.02 (The other thing… transport costs are too much)

03.41 to 04.45 (Are there some parts of the country… stocks are running out)

05.56 to 06.27 (Another group I work closely with.. may not be prioritized)

Early on in April, a group of feminists came out with a statement that presented a succinct analysis of the unfolding humanitarian crisis, and also drew attention to some of the ways in which the crisis can be addressed. These suggestions were both long-term and short term. Sarala was one of the signatories of this statement.  

9.33 to 11.24 (The socio economic impact … so that’s the backdrop)

11.28 to 12.21 (The statement itself makes… which currently aren’t existing)

12.27 to 13.21 (Since the end of the war…in this mess)

13.44 to 14.34 (So some of us knew… almost every year)

14.49 to 17.30 (So some of us had been talking about…those undone)

22.02 to 22.35 (We in our statement chose to call it …only way we can face this crisis)

Part 2

The next time I spoke to Sarala was after nearly a month. By then, the protests against the government had ballooned. GoGotaGamas had come up. Shortly after our conversation in May, within days, violence broke out between supporters of Mahinda Rajapaksa and the protestors. Several were injured and at least 8 people died. The previous time, Sarala said that while she was fully behind the protests, she feared that a collapse of the government would leave no one accountable.

07.11 to 09.09 (What were the first signs of the impending crisis …things are functioning, you know?)

00.00 to 00.39: Why is it necessary to look at this crisis from a gender lens?

1.21 to 2.57 (There is an invisibility anyways, which is systemic and structural … on their plate)  

Part 3

01.01 to 1.34 (The last month has … fear and panic)

07.03 to 7.23 (The last time we spoke, you had mentioned … for instance, food security)

7.57 to 09.09 (The govt has put out a proposal … from those cash grants)

20.40 to 21.07 (In terms of the feminist responses…so that’s one part of it)

21.31 to 22.00 (I know that groups are talking about…rural areas)