Sri Lanka is currently going through its worst economic crisis in recent history. Fuel, food and medicine shortages have been reality for residents for months. Many have blamed ex-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa due to corruption and mismanagement of the country.

Though we are all witnessing videos of protesters storming the Presidential Palace as of July, this crisis has been festering for a very long time. Covid, a severe drop in tourism, tax cuts and more have all contributed to Sri Lanka’s current situation.

I spoke to a local tuktuk driver when I visited the capital, Colombo, in June of this year to understand how his family and his business had been affected by fuel shortages and economic instability.

Video by @henasharma