The early morning bus from Mahakumbura arrived in Matara with the first hours of sunshine bathing the asphalt of the Southern Expressway. I lugged my skateboard all the way to Polhena to skate at the Yard and had a mini-linguist adventure with a local woman speaking with that quirky Southern Sinhalese. Then I took a bus to Weligama to get blessed by the Rabbi at the Chabad House over there, and then I caught the bus to Galle where I sat next to an Irishman and sang along to “Come out ye Black and Tans”.
Nasser Hussain.-President Civil Protection Society and Secretary-Galle Fort Business Association
Artist Dinesh Perera
Paul, the Irishman came to Sri Lanka to escape the winter, but he had strong opinions when I pointed to a massive grey building darkening the horizon. “Tourism has ruined Sri Lanka,” he said and explained how the scenic beauty is being taken over by kitchy modern buildings and local communities turning into tourist traps. I asked him if he was going to the Fort when we got to Galle and he said yes. So I bid adieu and walked from the Galle bus station to the old Dutch Fort before warning Paul not to get ripped by the tuk tuk drivers.
The ramparts grew larger and ever browner. A cold breeze hit me in the tunnel and there I was right at the entrance, wondering where I should go. The roundabout had signs pointing to various attractions. I decided to take the straightway.
Art Gallery
One of the first establishments you find in Lighthouse Street is a small modern art gallery called the 1873 Art Gallery Cafe. I met Dinesh Perera, an artist from Colombo who has several works at the 1873. He shows up at Galle every two months with new paintings. “The place is a touristy and haunt for art lovers,” he says when I ask him why he frequents the Galle Fort. “This is also a hub for art in the South and has so much added value for tourism. It has its own culture that has been untouched for a long time that is all to its own”.
“Fort’s oldest Cafe”
Just a door from the 1873 is Galle Fort’s oldest cafe. The proprietor, Charith said that his family has been running the establishment for three generations. Unlike other vintage cafes you find in Sri Lanka that poses to be rustic, this cafe had the sight, sound and smell of many years to it; from the rafters to floor. However, keeping up with the Fort’s hip vibe the establishment had been decorated with the many flavours of touristy and even had Shakshuka on the menu.
Artwork by Dinesh Perera
“My grandfather started this shop in 1932. Back then, the Fort only had establishments catering to foreigners. My grandfather wanted to do something different and serve the locals,” he said while pointing to his grandfather’s portrait on the wall next to the cash register,” Charith said. The golden age of the cafe was when his father ran the place for 40 years. “The board in the front called Ayubowan was put up because my father’s habit of greeting with and Ayubowan earning the cafe its nickname Ayubowan Kadey. This was confirmed by one of the patrons who reminisced how Charith’s father greeted people.
I spoke to him how gentrification is affecting business and he said that more places in the South are gentrifying for tourists because the margin is more enticing. “But I sell for local prices which I believe is more authentic even though it’s not profitable,” Charith said.
He says he offers Western food, but tries to strike a balance between chic and native. “It’s hard to gentrify Fort all the way because everybody tries to stick to the Colonial style”.
Black flags
I make my exit and take in the sights on Lighthouse Street. Apart from the bourgeois boutiques and cafes, the sight of black flags hanging from intersection to intersection above those cobble stone streets got my attention. The matter made news several weeks back. I wondered why the flags are still around so I went up to a tuk tuk driver to ask him who put it up and he replies “Ask Nasser, he runs a shop near that junction over there”.
After a quick search I find Nasser wasn’t in the gift shop, but fortunately his brother was present and gives me a number and I get in touch with him right away.
The controversy centres on the plan to charge foreigners 15 dollars for entry to Galle Fort, a move initiated by the Galle Heritage Foundation. According to Nasser Hussain, this proposal has sparked concerns among residents and businesses in the area.
“I have been involved in the Fort since 1999, as regulations come we have seen many ministers, many chairmen and even the Ministries but we have always stood with Fort,” he said. Nasser Hussain is the President of the Civil Protection Society and Secretary of the Galle Fort Business Association.
A street sign decorated with stickers
Nasser said that the initial proposal was even higher, applicable to both locals and foreigners. However, after protests and discussions, the chairman revised the plan to focus on charging only foreigners. Despite this adjustment, residents are wary of the potential repercussions.
The fear is that starting with foreigners may lead to future charges for locals as well. Nasser highlighted the precedent in Sri Lanka. “They start with the foreigners and it will end with the locals. This is not a matter of just tourism, this is a matter of liberty for all Sri Lankans to come and experience the Fort,” he said, while adding that the concern is not only about the financial burden, but also the potential limitations on access to the Fort’s common areas such as a supposed proposal to remove the stone stairs to the ramparts so that visitors can be charged to access the ramparts using a metal staircase.
Nasser raised concerns about the economic impact on local businesses, particularly those heavily reliant on tourism.
He also pointed out the potential decline in tourist numbers due to the 15 dollar fee, impacting the livelihoods of those who depend on tourism for their businesses. He expressed worries about the negative ripple effect on the entire ecosystem of Galle. “Unlike Sigiriya, guests come to Galle for longer stays. They get to the ramparts maybe three to four times a day, if they’re staying seven days, they come all seven days. That is because some can’t explore the Fort in one day and some come to watch the sunset next day. So, do you expect them to pay 15 dollars every time? Oh God no! As a person who has worked in the travel trade, I say this will cause a minimum 50 percent drop in the number of visitors.”
He said that Galle Fort has a unique communal living environment, where residents and businesses coexist harmoniously. Charging an entrance fee could disrupt this delicate balance and affect the vibrant atmosphere of the Fort.
In response to the proposed fee, Galle Fort residents organised peaceful protests, symbolised by the display of black flags. Nasser, along with other association leaders, is working to unite various community groups under the umbrella of the Galle Fort Federation to present a cohesive front against the entrance fee.
As the protest gains momentum, Nasser and other Fort residents have urged authorities to consider the long-term impact on the community, emphasising that this issue extends beyond Galle Fort and affects the essence of Sri Lankan heritage and freedom.
The Galle Fort Federation plans to engage with government officials and stakeholders to express their concerns and seek a resolution that preserves the cultural, economic and social fabric of Galle Fort.
Merged ticket
The Chairman of the Galle Heritage Foundation Nilan Cooray said that the 15 dollar fees will be charged to maintain Galle Fort since the State is finding it difficult to generate funds at this time. “The Maritime Museum charges Rs. 1,600, the National Museum charges Rs. 550 and we charge Rs. 2,000 to access the underground gunpowder magazines. The Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs has decided to merge all this charges into one ticket which will also include access to the ramparts which is managed by the Galle Heritage Foundation,” he said, while adding that it’s solely the Government’s decision.
Foreigners will be charged 15 dollars and it will be seven dollars for visitors from SARC countries, but locals won’t be charged, Cooray said.
The Galle Fort is not just a heritage site. It is a city within a city, a cultural capital and a citadel that harkens back to Sri Lanka’s vibrant past. There are valid concerns from both sides of the argument.
For one, residents are worried that the fee would discourage visitors from entering Galle Fort and the authorities say that they are just trying to generate money to maintain the site in a time where the State is finding it difficult to find funding.
A comprehensive dialogue should include the opinion of foreign visitors or a survey if they are comfortable to pay a merged fee for Galle Fort’s attraction. If the authorities do go ahead and charge this fee, they should make sure that the funds go to building the Fort’s infrastructure. I personally saw that many streets didn’t have garbage cans and there weren’t public toilets near the ramparts.
But in the end the final decision should be up to the Galle Fort’s residents and businesses because they are the ones affected the most.
