Loving Burma from Afar

“Now I can see more clearly the beauty of Myanmar and the deep, unique quality that made it beautiful. Myanmar is not only this coup d’état and the killing, but we have this beautiful culture. When I'm far away from home, I can see this more clearly.”

These were very powerful words spoken by the protest artist Chuu Wai Nyein during our recent podcast discussion. She describes how, in the early days of the nonviolent protests, her artistic skills came to be in high demand as people began streaming to her, describing what they wanted their protest sign to express and how it was to look visually. Eventually, her activism got her in the military's crosshairs, and like so many others who were resisting the illegal takeover, she found herself in on a list. Although she never wanted to leave her native country, she sadly realized it was simply not safe to remain in Myanmar, and so made plans to escape, eventually landing safely in France.

Chuu continues her artwork and activism from Paris, and the longer away she remains from the Golden Land, the more precious she comes to find the culture and people.

The podcast conversation also explores Chuu's particular style of artwork, and how feminism and women's rights play such an important role in her overall creative vision. Even before the coup, Chuu was focused on drawing attention to the sexual harassment that Burmese women routinely face and which is then surreptitiously ignored and swept away, and simply not acknowledged or looked at. Her art, therefore, goes out of its way to depict Burmese women in traditional scenes, but sitting and moving boldly, with a sense of confidence and power she only hopes to see one day in reality across Myanmar.