Translating ‘A Hidden History’ of Women’s Activism

by Vasantha Wakkumbura

History is often written by the victors, but it is also overwhelmingly written by, and about, men. When we look back at the decades of conflict in Sri Lanka, the dominant narratives are almost entirely military and male-centric. But there is another narrative—one of profound courage and resistance—that often gets buried.

This is why translating Kumudini Samuel’s A Hidden History – Women’s Activism for Peace in Sri Lanka 1982-2000 was such a crucial project.

Working on the Sinhala translation of this book for the Social Scientists’ Association was an exercise in historical recovery. The book meticulously documents the grassroots organizing, the protests, and the relentless advocacy of Sri Lankan women who stood on the frontlines of peacebuilding during some of the most violent years of our civil war.

Translating this work presented a unique set of linguistic and political challenges. We weren’t just translating dates and events; we were translating a specific vocabulary of feminist resistance and conflict resolution. We had to ensure that the political agency of these women—mothers, activists, and survivors—was accurately and powerfully conveyed in Sinhala.

A history of peace activism shouldn’t only be accessible to English-speaking academics. By bringing Kumudini Samuel’s vital research into the Sinhala language, the goal was to return this history to the wider public consciousness, fundamentally challenging how we remember our own past.

NB. This book was co-translated with Sepala Wijesekara