Lost Souls in Yangon

“People used to joke about the lost souls and misfits turning up in Yangon to sell their wares and their knowledge… There were shady professionals, and some real sharks as well, trying to capitalize on vulnerabilities and an immature market. I think that was the same with the media. There were some chunky players, and some incredible players.”

Even at the time, this quote stood out for me from the recent interview with Jessica Mudditt. Not only for the strangely discomfiting evocative imagery it painted of a far-off outpost suddenly becoming overrun with fly-by-night kitsch and manipulative seasoned prowlers, but also for its accurate depiction for the kind of Wild West feel that anyone who lived in Yangon in the 2010s will instantly recognize.

And what strikes me most in reflecting on this quote now is, sadly, that it is even more relevant today, yet in a different way. Michael Charney and Maung Zarni, among others, have been warning us about the influx of Western journalists, scholars, and aid workers who will see the current Myanmar crisis as something to benefit from. To paraphrase Charney's equally evocative language, these vultures will come with words of good will, but will suck the local population dry as they seek their own name and fame in the process.

So although the context has changed, and few can now physically come to Myanmar and set up shop, the transactional nature of using the suffering of the Burmese people at this time to advance one's own career, is sadly as relevant as ever today.