African Sri Lankans, mainly the
Sri Lanka Kaffirs
The Sri Lankan Kaffirs (cafrinhas in Portuguese, කාපිරි ''kāpiriyō'' in Sinhala, and காப்பிலி ''kāpili'' in Tamil) are an ethnic group in Sri Lanka who are partially descended from 16th-century Portuguese traders an ...
, are a very small Ethnic group in
Sri Lanka who are descendants of African mercenaries, musicians, and labourers taken to what is now Sri Lanka by Portuguese colonists during the period of Portuguese colonial rule on the island. There are currently around 1,000 African Sri Lankans. They live in pockets of communities along the island's coastal regions of
Trincomalee
Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...
,
Batticaloa, and
Negombo
Negombo (, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the west coast and at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, in Western Province, from Colombo via Colombo - Katunayake Expressway.
Negombo is one of the major commercial hubs in the country an ...
. The Portuguese colonists used them to fight the Ceylonese Kings.
The main African Sri Lankans are known a
Kaffirs This term is not used as a racial pejorative as in other parts of the world. Some were originally Muslims, while others practiced African religions, but many have now converted to Catholicism and Buddhism. They speak a
lyrical creole language with a mix of native Sinhalese and Tamil.
Groups
Sri Lanka Kaffirs
The Sri Lankan Kaffirs are an ethnic group in
Sri Lanka who are partially descended from 16th century
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
traders and the
Africans who were brought by them to work as labourers and soldiers to fight against the
Sri Lankan kings.
See also
*
Siddi
References
External links
Kaffirs in Sri Lanka - Descendants of Africansat Sri Lanka virtual library site.
at Sri Lanka virtual library site.
People of African descent
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