About Us

“It’s About Time” is a virtual museum that focuses on Sri Lanka’s recent history. It was designed to encourage us to consider multiple perspectives of history, to reflect on the role we play in history, and to find constructive ways of dealing with the past. “It’s About Time” was originally conceived as a traveling history museum, showcasing a variety of interactive art and cultural exhibits, audio-visual material, and a series of performances and activities targeting all age groups. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the traveling museum was re-conceptualised in the virtual space, enabling the exploration of the thought-provoking exhibits safely from our homes. Our knowledge of history is often limited to mainstream sources and what we learn from textbooks in school. Personal experiences, perspectives and accounts which contribute to our understanding of history are not often recorded and thus hardly known. Moreover, the formal teaching of history in Sri Lanka strongly focuses on the pre-colonial and colonial eras, and not so much on the period post-independence. Since the end of the Sri Lankan civil war, a growing interest in history can be observed. In its report to the government, the Consultative Task Force (CTF) on Reconciliation Mechanisms concludes: “In the context of healing, the act of telling, for all sides of the conflict, is an important step in the process of reconciliation. Many personal 'truths' exist and they need to be shared.” (CTF, 2017). To navigate the virtual museum better, the exhibits are categorised in four key areas, conceived in the form of four questions:

• Who Writes Our History?
• Do Everyday People's Stories Matter?
• What Cultural Elements Influence Our History?
• What is Our Role in Creating History?

By exploring these questions and by inviting contributions from all audiences, the It's About Time proposes a concept of a museum that is innovative, interactive and constantly evolving.

The It’s About Time Traveling History Museum is implemented by Search for Common Ground (SFCG) with the Collective for Historical Dialogue & Memory (CHDM) playing a technical advisory role. The initiative is supported by the Strengthening Social Cohesion and Peace in Sri Lanka (SCOPE) programme.

The It’s About Time Traveling History Museum was designed and piloted by CHDM’s predecessor Historical Dialogue, which was part of the Strengthening Reconciliation Processes in Sri Lanka (SRP) programme. Both SRP and SCOPE are co-funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and the European Union and implemented by GIZ in partnership with the Government of Sri Lanka.