Episode #189: The French Connection (Bonus Shorts)
“This is a big role. Maybe one could say that I am foolish! But it is for our country, for our government; we support the NUG [National Unity Government]. They needed somebody. So, I decided finally that ‘somebody’ had to do it. Just like that, with strong determination, I decided that if I can take the role and let my name and my face be publicly known, this is already one thing that is better than nothing! Of course, when I took the job, it comes with responsibilities.”
Nan Su Mon Aung is the NUG Representative in France, the culmination of a journey that led from rural Karen and Pa’O village life, to completing a master’s degree at Sorbonne University in Paris, to her present, high-profile position. She describes her current duties as ranging from the basic, like locating a physical space for the office and appointing a team, to the political, like navigating the proper channels in the EU and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Her aim is “to engage with the French authorities, so as to inform French society about what is happening in Myanmar, to represent Burmese citizens in France, and to facilitate the contact between the NUG and French society organizations.” Nan Su Mon Aung also tracks such things as the Burma Act in the US, French parliamentary submissions, and what transpires at the UN.
Nan Su Mon Aung expresses gratitude for supporters in the global Burmese diaspora. At the same time, she understands the great personal sacrifice that those in the resistance movement continue to face on the ground, and describes the strain that so many in the country are still confronting. “Arresting the villagers, those things are happening now, again, in Myanmar. This is not new to us! I grew up hearing all those stories. I experienced it myself under the junta! So, all I always wanted, was to experience a true democratic government.”
Before taking the bold step into the world of politics, Nan Su Mon Aung had the aspiration to teach Burmese youth in freer and more open ways, like she had the opportunity to experience while studying in France. She touches on the difficulties with rote memorization as a learning technique, which is very common in Myanmar, and how teacher-centered instruction, coupled with an atmosphere of fear and submission, routinely discouraged critical thinking in her age cohort. As for her former life, she recalls, “I strived to share knowledge with Myanmar students. I grew up under previous dictatorships; I would like for the new generation to have the experience of learning as easily as at an international university.” To that end, Nan Su Mon Aung launched informational web resources and an international scholarship program for young Burmese. “Step-by-step, I began to get many scholarships for the young students, and I was starting another step, but the coup happened! Yes, that's why all my plans were gone.”
Nan Su Mon Aung also opens up about her experience being of mixed Karen and Pa’O ethnicity. She describes how divisions between the Bamar and other ethnic groups. But she does find that Generation Z is wholly different. “They don't care who; when they meet a friend, they don't care where their friend comes from, what their nationality is, what their religion is. They don't care about that, just that we all are human. They know that!”
For her, this is primarily because this young generation has enjoyed access to information in a way that sets them apart. “After the coup, those younger generations, they couldn’t accept it. Because of that coup, basically, the revolution is happening! It is not like before in Myanmar. Before the coup d’état this or that was happening for the revolution, but this time it is very different. These younger generations, they know other countries; they know human rights. They know all those equalities, egalities. So now, NUG; that's why we call it ‘inclusive.’”
Before closing, Nan Su Mon Aung wants to remind listeners that this conflict in Myanmar is a global one. “We must not forget the involvement of Russia and China in the crisis in our country. This crisis is a threat to all neighboring countries and to the international community. We can see that tyrants and dictators are supporting each other. I believe that this time it is crucial, and that we must eradicate and stop all kinds of dictatorship in this world.”
She exhorts all who can lend an ear or support of any kind: “As long as we don't lose hope in our revolution, we are already winning. And we should be believing in it, because our revolution should prevail. Thank you.”