| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Few thousand (2005)[1] ~10,000 (2009)[2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Sri Lanka | ~10,000[2] |
| Negombo | [2] |
| Trincomalee | [2] |
| Batticaloa | [2] |
| Languages | |
| Sri Lanka Kaffir language,Sinhala,Tamil language,Sri Lankan Portuguese Creole,Mauritian Creole,French,Italian,Swahili,Igbo,Yoruba,Telugu,Gujarati | |
| Religion | |
| OriginallySunni Islam Roman Catholicism andBuddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| otherAfro-Asians | |
African Sri Lankans, mainly theSri Lanka Kaffirs, are a very small Ethnic group inSri 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.[3] There are currently around 1,000 African Sri Lankans. They live in pockets of communities along the island's coastal regions ofTrincomalee,Batticaloa, andNegombo. The Portuguese colonists used them to fight the Ceylonese Kings.[4]
The main African Sri Lankans are known asKaffirs. 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 alyrical creole language with a mix of native Sinhalese and Tamil.[5]
The Sri Lankan Kaffirs are an ethnic group inSri Lanka who are partially descended from 16th centuryPortuguese traders and theAfricans who were brought by them to work as labourers and soldiers to fight against theSri Lankan kings.[6]
| Indigenous | |
|---|---|
| Traditional | |
| Multiracial | |
| Immigrants | |
| Geography |
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| Secondary Afro-American diaspora |
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| Related topics | |||||||||||||||||||
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