“and when we speak we are afraid
our words will not be heard
nor welcomed
but when we are silent
we are still afraid
So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive”
-Audre Lorde
Burma’s state-run newspaper propagates homecoming of the exiles, but “it did not mention the environmental damages made by the military and its cronies. It says that the devastating disasters worldwide is stemming from over-exploitation of the environment. On the other hand, it fails to spotlight the lessons from the Cyclone Nargis in 2008. Moreover, there is a faction in the government of Burma which still aimed to exploit the Myit-sone dam project on the Irrawaddy River although the people have said no.” They don’t mention the Rohingya either, or how the government has a responsibility to those people because yes, they are Burmese.
But then, we also know that Burma has an irresponsible new media that very rarely speaks out against the atrocities committed against the Rohingya and usually just perpetuates the prejudice.
So although I think it’s awesome that Burmese filmmakers tell stories of a country in transition because it’s important to raise awareness and point out the cruelty of the current regime (from the Burmese perspective, and we don’t need to have people speaking for us), I’m questioning if they’re going to include the voices of people like the Rohingya.
And while we’re at it, Burma’s internal conflict isn’t just with the Rohingya. And it’s doing them a disservice to ignore everyone else and focus only on the conflict with the Rohingya. Who, by the way, aren’t all Muslim, even if most of them are.