The English translations of the memoirs of both the Governor of Ceylon from 1742-1743, Daniel Overbeek and the Commandeur of Jaffna during 1748, Librecht Hooreman, were officially launched at a ceremony at the Department of National Archives on November 6. Both memoirs were translated by Rajarata University’s Professor of Humanities and former Deputy Director of the Sri Lanka National Archives, K.D. Paranavitana.
This task was entrusted to me by the Netherlands-Sri Lanka cultural co-operation programme and it has taken me one and a half years to complete,” Professor Paranavitana explained to the gathering.
The launch of the two translated memoirs was the feature event of the National Archives Week which ran from November 3-7.
Speaking at the launch, National Archives Director Dr. Saroja Wettasinghe said, the theme for this year’s National Archives Week was “Archives and Foreign Relations”.
Minister of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena also graced the event along with a number of representatives from the Dutch Embassy including the evening’s Guest of Honour, Netherlands Ambassador Leoni Cuelenaere.
Besides speeches from distinguished guests there were also two brief reviews of the Governor’s and the Jaffna Commandeur’s memoirs by the Director General of the National Archives in Indonesia, Djoke Utomo, and Prof .S. Pathmanathan from the University of Peradeniya. |
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