Iman Saleem
What do you get when you combine a solar eclipse, fake news and colourism? Islandwide chaos — and, for Wally Bastianz, a hit baila song.
The inspiration behind Bastianz’s ‘Wadakaha Sudiya’ was a true event that took place in 1955 Ceylon. In anticipation of an upcoming solar eclipse, superstition and misinformation spread across the island, leading to a medical disaster.
Have Sri Lankans learned their lesson? Or have we carried our superstitions all the way into the 21st century?
