From Plantations to Military: Heritage of Galle Fort in Sri Lanka

Galle Fort in Sri Lanka serves as a testament to the complex colonial history of the Indian Ocean trade. A key finding from this study is the revelation that enslaved Africans, listed in an early 19th-century British manuscript, were not only laborers on plantations but also transitioned into soldiers within the Ceylon Regiments. This shift highlights the demand for African military skills in the region and raises questions about the timing of slavery's abolition. The research approach involves analyzing heterogeneous names of enslaved Africans to uncover their ethnic backgrounds and the intricate world of plantation labor, while also drawing attention to the often-overlooked Portuguese heritage in Galle, overshadowed by Dutch and British imprints.

Jayasuriya, S. d. S. (2025). From Plantations to Military: Heritage of Galle Fort in Sri Lanka. Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage, 14(3), 267–287. https://doi.org/10.1080/21619441.2025.2524956