'Breaking The Silence' exhibition on genocide of Tamils held at KCL

Kings College London held its annual 'Breaking the Silence' exhibition on the November 20, to raise awareness among fellow students of the human rights violations and mass atrocities committed against Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka. The exhibition, located in the university's ‘The Spit’ - a bustling area where students pass en route to the lecture theatres, was run by members of the KCL Tamil Society. The atrocities, including torture, sexual violence, enforced disappearance, war crimes and genocide, were exhibited through posters, paintings and a visual timeline of key events during the ethnic conflict on the island. The posters proved to be particularly powerful in highlighting the plight of the Tamil people. Many students who passed by said they were shocked by what they had learnt and surprised that they had not previously heard about the conflict in Sri Lanka. “As the exhibition came to an end, one of the things we gathered from the day was that, although many students were unaware of the situation in Sri Lanka, they were intrigued and very willing to listen and learn," KCL Campaigns Officer Ashvath Moorthy told Tamil Guardian at the end of the event. "As a result, KCL Tamil Society have decided to plan more events like this in the near future to continue educating students," he added. The campaign can be followed on twitter using ‘#BreakTheSilence’.