Burning of Jaffna Public Library (1981)
Mon Jun 01, 1981
Image: A framed photograph of the burned ruins of Jaffna Public Library, following the fire of 1981 [countercurrents.org]
On this day in 1981, a Sinhalese mob burned Jaffna Public Library in Sri Lanka, one of the worst examples of ethnic book burning in the 20th century. The library was one of the biggest in Asia, containing over 97k books and manuscripts.
The attack on Jaffna was part of a multi-day, anti-Tamil pogrom by Sri Lankan state forces, following a rally held by the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF). Many business establishments, a local Hindu temple, and a newspaper office were also destroyed, and statues of Tamil cultural and religious figures were defaced.
At the time of the Library's destruction, it contained irreplaceable documents of great importance to Tamil culture, items such as the only existing copy of a history of Jaffna written by Tamil poet Mayilvagana Pulavar in 1736. According to author Kumarathasan Rasingam, the Library also served as a cultural hub for the Tamil community.
In 1998, under president Chandrika Kumaratunga, the government began the process to rebuild the Jaffna Public Library with contributions from Sri Lankans and foreign governments, and it was re-opened to the public several years later.
- Date: 1981-06-01
- Learn More: countercurrents.org, en.wikipedia.org.
- Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org