Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Interview of Burmese singer Daw Mar Mar Aye, Death Railway etc -

http://www.rfa.org/burmese/ Mar Mar Aye: As for new creations in Burmese music, there is rap and there is hip hop, but it all started elsewhere, in the west./ So far nothing has come from within the Burmese tradition itself -/ I know because even from an early age, I was cavorting on the rainbow (her first best selling song, at about age 13, was thet tant paw hmar kasar me - or "I shall play on the rainbow")/ so until I see something generated within Burma itself, I will have to reserve judgement -/ About whether she is coming back for good - "I thought I would never be returning and so I had made certain arrangements there, and I could not just get up and move back suddenly, now could I? -- so it's just coming to visit./ About how she made the decision to visit -/ "Well, my age is coming along and I wanted contact with my family and my audience and the people of Burma - now, my family, I can call them on the phone, but how would I call all the people of Burma? -- and also they want to hear Mar Mar Aye's voice - and I also, I want to sing for them, I want to see if I can still sing." Informal translation and summary Kyi May Kaung

Specialpost--Ellen Bernstein--expose of World Bank Rohingya project--

https://www.irrawaddy.com/culture/books/hellfire-and-damnation-in-myanmar-ex-world-bank-country-head-recounts-rohingya-catastrophe-response....