Transcript: Episode #197: Revolutionary Poetry
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Host 0:11
Thank you for taking the time to listen to today's episode. As you know, the current crisis in Myanmar is extremely concerning. And we appreciate that you're taking the time to stay informed. There is even value in just becoming more aware and helping to inform others. So please consider sharing this episode so that more people may learn about what is happening in the country. It's critical to ensure that this issue remains present in public discourse. But for now, let's get on to the interview itself.
Host 1:48
Okay, so today I am speaking with sigh a sham poet and activist operating largely on Instagram and posting in English sighs poems speak to the struggle, strife, determination and hope of the struggle against the military junta and provide a glimpse into Myanmar for English speaking audiences. He's been writing poems and posting them to Instagram since shortly after the coup, sigh. Welcome to the podcast.
Sai 2:14
Hello, thank you for having me. Of course,
Host 2:17
of course. So in our conversation, I'd like to get a sense of your journey, what motivates you how you see the current situation in Myanmar from your own vantage point, and also how you feel your writing kind of connects to it all. So I was hoping we get started with just your journey. Where did you grow up? How and how did you get to where you are now?
Sai 2:40
Yes. So I'm sigh I'm 25 years old. And I was born and raised in Yangon. I lived in the city and went to school there until I was maybe 16 or 17. Then I moved to Bangkok, Thailand to start my college education. And currently, I'm based in Taiwan in Taipei working as a freelance writer for for a private publishing company. So my background I would say, I grew up in a very traditional, perhaps like conservative family. I'm mostly ethnically Chinese, maybe like with a little bit of Sham from my dad's side. And despite that fact, my family including myself, didn't really like practice Chinese folk religion. We were we were devoted, Buddhists, Theravada Buddhists still are, especially my mother. She meditates a lot. She regularly upholds the five precepts and makes regular donations to the Sangha and the underprivileged. So, she, she kind of had a massive influence on my spiritual life as a young kid. Like me and my family would go on pilgrimages every single year to many sacred Buddhist sites, like in in bucho in Sakai in Mandalay. So, you know, even though I'm not like ethnically by MMA, I still identify as a Myanmar national just because of how synonymous you know, state and religion are and it pains me to see such a beautiful one of carnation kind of devolve into the state that we see today. Once again, because of, you know, one delusional man. And yeah, that that's that's how poetry came into mind because I've always had, I've always had a passion for writing. And I figured, you know, if if artists stay sane in this situation, I might as well write and share my words on Instagram, and hopefully, you know, people who get to see or read my poems feel the same way as I do.
Host 5:30
Yeah, yeah, exactly. And you mentioned staying sane. The current situation seems a bit insane. So how, how would you say your poetry helped you to do? So? What about writing? What about posting helped you to sort of maintain your center?
Sai 5:56
Um, I guess writing, you could say it's like a coping mechanism. For me in a way. I distinctly remember, the moment the news broke, I was in the MRT, on the subway here in Taipei. And I couldn't quite process what I was reading. Like, I felt an emotion that I truly have never felt before. There was like a mix of just confusion and an anger and frustration. And, you know, honestly, I can no longer keep up with the countless lives the regime has taken away from us. It's scary, because, you know, these tragedies are somehow becoming normalized. Like, I'm sure this applies to everyone who ever missed, you know, like, our feelings and emotions have become so desensitized that, like, seeing a dead body in the streets, like no longer phases, phases me. Like, of course, this is not to say that, you know, I'm giving up the fight, like, I'm giving up hope. It's just that it's funny, because this is coming from a devoted Buddhist and someone who consistently practices meditation. So, you know, like, I believe those who practice Vipassana, like insight, meditation, know that feelings are just feelings, and they can't really bother you unless you choose to clean to them. And so, in a sense, you know, my practice and everything that's happening, and Myanmar are always like, clashing, and sometimes it gets overwhelming. And that's how poetry helps me in a way that the coping mechanism, and like, you know, turn something that I love into a place that I could take refuge in. So yeah,
Host 8:05
that's excellent. Yes. And that makes a ton of sense. I think that that, like you're saying that clash, that sort of juxtaposition of your meditation, your sort of spiritual journey, in connection with the sort of atrocities or the horrors that you see on a regular basis through social media or in the news or whatever it might be. Having to make sense of that having to come to peace with that in some way. So that you can move forward would be a massive challenge. And you found writing to be a way to help you to move yourself through that to sort of out imagine, transform that into something useful. Is that accurate?
Sai 8:52
Yes. Yes. You know, sure.
Host 8:55
Sure. And, and so what motivates you to share your poetry, what motivates you to to post it for the world to see?
Sai 9:09
So, like I previously said, like, it serves as a coping mechanism for me, and it's almost like a routine now that I go on Instagram for at least an hour a day. And just keep myself up to date with the situation in Myanmar. And, I mean, of course, like, you know, like 99% of the time, like the news that I see it's not it doesn't offer hope in any sense. And when I feel like you know, everything, like I feel like this whole process like I do understand that, of course, this this spring revolution, it takes time, it takes time for change to happen, but sometimes you can't help but feel helpless. You know, and I'm pretty sure the same applies for everybody, including the Burmese star Spore, like even those of us here in Taiwan seeking asylum, and, you know, having stayed here to living in exile. So yeah, you know, in a way, I guess, what motivates me to write is that I just want to reach out to people and kind of just say, you know, hey, like, it's okay. Like, like, I know, it's a tough time for all of us. And I believe that words hold power. And especially when you phrase it in a way that just hits you in the fields. So that kind of effect is what I'm going for, for my own sake. And, of course, for, you know, people who could maybe feel better, in a sense, I guess, after writing after reading my poems.
Host 11:06
Right? Exactly. It's a form of sounds like a form of connection, an attempt to express the thing that you're experiencing, because it might be that other people are experiencing similar things. And sounds like it helps you to stay connected, stay grounded. If you don't mind, I'm going to read a poem that you posted on June 11 2021. So it is mass arrests, mass abuse, mass abductions, yet they fail to cease what lies at the heart of the revolution, the spirit of the people remains unbreakable. Do you still feel that the spirit of the people remains unbreakable?
Sai 12:01
Yes, of course, definitely.
Host 12:08
Such a beautiful poem. Thank you. What gives you hope? What if you're seeing these things transpire on a regular basis? What What? What keeps you going? What keeps you motivated? What are the things that makes up sort of the heart of the revolution or the spirit of the people to you?
Sai 12:35
I think because of course, you know, Myanmar has been like way before the February coup. Mo has always been, like, not stable, I guess, like, you know, because like, we're all familiar with life under dictator dictatorship. And when when the February coup broke out, maybe like, I guess, like a few months in the regime started cracking down as usual, you know, on activist on protesters, especially on poets. And it always, it's just beyond me, you know, it just baffles me that, you know, how insecurity you have to be to go after poets, you know, because in a way, I feel like, like, personally, I feel like poets are like the backbone of Burmese society. I read plenty of Burmese poems as well. And there was a time when news broke out that one of the one of like, I would say, prominent pose was shot in the head for sharing, I guess, writing a poem on Facebook, that just kind of resonated with what the people felt. And I believe, I'm not sure of the details, but I believe he was gone down. And that was kind of like the tipping point for me, of course, like in the past the regime, like the previous regime, did, you know, like, organized, like, like, crackdown on poets and writers and authors. And they would imprison them for like, a maximum of 10 years. You know, so I mean, this dictatorship is truly horrific, just on another level than like all the previous dictatorships, like, maybe during the time of general new when or, or potentially, it's just worse, because it's like, our freedom to do anything basically has been stripped away, like, our voice as well. And I guess, in a way, I also want to pay an homage to the fallen poets and all the poets who are, you know, still in hiding and Myanmar, and writing poems, you know, to give us hope Ope, I feel like that is such to me. It's it's a brave thing to do.
Host 15:05
Yes. Yes, yes, I 100% that is, as you said, this military who did targets poets, it targets the sort of lifeblood or the the thought, and the feeling and the spirit leadership of the people in an attempt to to, I think, cow the resistance to kind of scare them. And it's been very inspiring to see continued expressions continued writing continued resistance over time, and even over a year, on a year and a half on. At least from my observations, it still seems like there's plenty of fight left in the in the resistance in the revolution. Yeah, so do you have any, any poets that you'd like to read any, any particular posters, who, who you feel are worthy of a follow or worthy of just checking out at all?
Sai 16:20
Um, that's an interesting question. Because even though I'm aware that there are many, many poets in, in Myanmar, whose like, you know, like revolutionary poetry, but as far as I know, I have yet to see an Instagram Instagram account, like the poetry account that focuses primarily on the spring revolution. Of course, like there are some, you know, just poetry in Burmese language, but it's not really about, like, revolutionary poetry.
Host 16:54
Right? Yes. Right, that makes sense. And how that's you, that's a great thing to, for me to think about. I'd never thought of before what, what would you say is revolutionary poetry? What is revolutionary poetry do?
Sai 17:13
Revolutionary poetry, I guess I would define it as poetry that stirs the hearts of the people. I would, I would say that, like, of course, you know, there has been many forms of revolutionary poetry in the past, as well. Like, for instance, William Blake's, William Blake's the French Revolution, for example, he wasn't English, he was a prominent English poet. And the French Revolution, of course, as the name implies, was about the French Revolution. And you know, sometimes you see these interesting parallels between revolutions in the West elsewhere, and revolution in a Myanmar, because, you know, in the end, that's freedom is what we all want freedom from fear, you know, freedom to do whatever you want, basically, just basic human rights.
Host 18:15
Right. And so the it's like a common struggle towards freedom, common common struggle, away from oppression and repression. How, so? How do you make sense of what's actually happening in Myanmar? How do you make sense of, you know, on a personal level, the freedoms that were starting to be enjoyed within the country, and then the sudden clamped down of that, on February 1, how do you make sense from your perspective?
Sai 18:49
I'm actually, I don't think anyone expected that something like this would happen in this day and age. Right. I guess for starters, that like I said, I was born in I was raised in Yangon. So like even before the February coup, I guess before like, Myanmar was opening up to opening up to the world that was like still like the previous like, regime under General century. So I, I distinctly remember, like, during general centuries regime, like the previous dictator, when like, power cuts and blackouts were far too common. And you know, the sound the sound of generators with a bus through the night, until the next morning, and I remember how me my my hand and my little sister had to queue several times for clean drinking water and, and cooking oil during during the aftermath of Cyclone artists in tune I was in eighth. And speaking of psychoanalysis, it was during that time that I realized everything I'd experienced up until that point was not the norm. It wasn't normal to not be able to do homework because there was no no lighting. You know, and, and truth be told, it was during that time that I began to develop an interest in writing, and in poetry in general, because there's no electricity. No, there was nothing you could do. But wait and wait until all the lights flicker back on again. So during cyclone artists, it was a time that really shed light, on my view of the country I lived in, like, when when the disaster happened, like basic necessities and medical supplies were really scars. As far as I remember, it was because the previous regime blocked all international humanitarian aid. What when it happened, it was, it was just an absolute nightmare. Like we had to stay awake for several nights, because the roof kept leaking water and kept shaking violently because of the winds, and was just flooding everywhere, especially in Yangon and empathy. And I heard a far worse cases in the thing where the Delta was just littered with bodies, because of the incompetence of the regime. And then soon after, there was like, there was like a rise in in cases of Dengue fever. And, you know, children especially were very vulnerable. So like, it was during that time, you know, that, that I just that I can just remember vividly, that this is all it's like, we're thrown back into the past. Once again, we're back to where we started from, like, it's, you know, like the fact that we the fact that we're living in, in some sort of a medieval age, and how the country is slowly becoming a backward country because of one delusional man, you know, so in a sense, all of this experience is, like, connected, I guess. So it's not new. But it's just the feeling now, in present day is just fresh and raw. Because it's time for, you know, it's time for the regime to go. And, you know, and I'm especially very proud of people who support the CDM movement, especially people like PDF resistance fighters in the jungle. So, you know, it's, it's just, I feel like Myanmar is entering a new phase, or I would say, journey, because this isn't unlike, during the 1960s, the 88 uprising, or like the 2007 Saffron Revolution, this is entirely new. And, you know, even though it seems like the situation is hopeless. I do feel I still do feel like a vestige of hope, because this time, we're actually fighting back.
Host 23:37
Right. Right. And that it's always darkest before the dawn. And, and also the I think you're right, that that sort of aspect of fighting back. You know, in my very short reading of the country, again, from an outsider's perspective, it definitely seems like a different spirit has kind of possessed the people. And there is a an understanding. I wonder if you remember if you could recall what it was like after some of the reforms started to take place. Was there more opening up? Was there more hope in the country? What What was that time like up until the coup happened?
Sai 24:29
So I don't like I previously mentioned, I left Myanmar for Thailand when I was 1617. So that was I think that was shortly before the country was opening to opening up to democracy and elections, like fair elections were being held again. So my experience would be because I didn't really get to grow up during that brief phase that brief democratic phase in Myanmar. So I grew up, like I said, under the previous regime, and it's kind of funny because my mother was there protesting on the streets near su laevigata, during the ADA rising, my grandfather was there during the I'm not I'm not sure if this is not widely known, but they the anti Chinese riots, like in 1967, I believe, which was instigated by a general nuisance regime. So I think I speak for all Myanmar nationals, and those of us like the Burmese star sport that we have this collective, like generational trauma that still persists to this day. And, you know, I do not want that for my children, or grandchildren to bear the same way. That that me my parents and grandparents were just, you know, I don't I don't want them to live in exile forever and forget about their identity, in a sense. So the regime that I grew up in, like I said, like the blackouts were far too often. And there were also like, mandatory curfews, and like martial law. And I also remember, like a gathering of five or six people in cities, again, going was like, strictly prohibited. I mean, this was the previous regime. So of course, it I mean, and during that, that time was like maybe, like, mid 2000 10s. So it wasn't like it. Like, like I said, even though the rest of the world was like developing and evolving. You know, internet was very rare in Myanmar, that there were internet cafes, and people could, you know, chat on Facebook, play video games, and all that stuff. But the internet speed was just horrible. You know, so we didn't really have access to information, or facts. And I didn't realize it back then. But propaganda as well was like very prevalent, I guess, because like, whenever, like, you know, I grew up, like reading newspapers, Burmese newspapers, and watching Mr. TV, which is like the state own, like propaganda channel, because back, back in those days, I didn't really know that this was a propaganda channel, you know, like everything. In a way, the regime was just brainwashing people, you know, through Mr. TV, because that was, as far as I remember, that was the only channel on the on television. You know, we didn't have we didn't have like international channels, or like international news channels, because Mr. TV and like, I believe another channel was, well, it was all that we could watch. So in a way, the people were very, I mean, we grew up very, like controlled, in a sense. You know, like, even though on the surface, everything was, like, normal, but deep down. That was the kind of life that we had to. Yeah, that we had to grow up, grew up on.
Host 28:29
Yeah. And I wonder some of those things that you had said earlier about your mom being a devout Buddhist, and you've been growing up Buddhist, I see some of those themes in your poems, which I thought was very beautiful. I wonder how trying to think of how to phrase this as a question how the sort of the, the claims of, of sort of Buddhist identity area, Bomar identity and Buddhism and protecting that identity and protecting Buddhism made by the military junta, I wonder how that squares with someone who is inactive practitioner? Again, I'm not Buddhist, I don't know much about that. But I wonder how how that squares or doesn't square like from your point of view, what would be a more true version or reading of that? Um,
Sai 29:34
I guess from from personal experience, because now like under under this dictators regime, like religion is being used as a tactic to kind of like promote their propaganda, but I'm just speaking from personal experience, like I don't I don't know if this is true, but back in my days, like, religion wasn't really Like used as, as a propagandist tool, I would say, because, you know, Myanmar, of course, is a predominantly Buddhist country at the Theravada Buddhist country. Of course, there are many 100 faces like, of minority minorities, I would say like Hindu minorities, Muslim minorities, and which is also like another problem because back in the days, we all thought that, you know, every everyone like every religion was like coexisting together, but it wasn't really the case as in, you know, the Rohingya genocide. So, like, so, like back to Buddhism, I would say, Yeah, I mean, life back then was just different. Like, maybe I dare say, a lot better than the current regime, because you really had the freedom to, you know, worship or practice, well, whatever you believe in. And, like, I like I said, like, we my family and I grew up in a very conservative family, very Buddhist, very religious that we will go to the Shwedagon Pagoda as well, like, every Sunday. So, in a way, I guess, we kind of coped with the life under dictatorship through religion, because, you know, for me, Buddhism is all about non violence, all about peace and compassion, upholding the five precepts, you know, paying refuge, refuge in the Triple Gem, like the Buddha, the Dharma, the Dharma, and the Sangha. So, yeah, but as far as I recall, like, the previous regime didn't really use religion as a propaganda tool. But of course, I'm pretty sure that persecutions elsewhere, especially in Rakhine state, what was were happening? Because we don't usually get to hear those kinds of things in newspapers or in our on the channel, in general. So yes.
Host 32:11
And have you noticed a change generally, within, you know, within things that people you're connected with, have you noticed a change in awareness around what's happened in sort of the border regions? And okay, yes, what type of change? What's it? What's it felt like? What's it moving toward? Definitely,
Sai 32:28
there is definitely a change. Because, um, if I have to be honest, when news of like, I guess it was in 2017, When news of the Rohingya genocide started, like, getting mainstream, I remember what, like most of us felt in Yangon was like, oh, like, you know, the, the Muslims are the bad guys. Like they're the one trying to infiltrate into our society, or, you know, they're trying to preach their faith and trying to, you know, turn Myanmar into predominantly Muslim state, you know, that that kind of propaganda, it was kind of very common and very usual. But now, I think, I think this has to do with that, like I said, that democratic face that we experience, like the internet started coming in, we started having, like mobile networks, people started opening up, even like, within the LGBT community, you know, people just become more open minded because of democracy. And, you know, it just changed because it still baffles me how, you know, this current dictator can post something like this, in this day and age, especially in 2022 in the age of information, because back then we don't know what you know, if this information is true or false, we just accept it as it is. But now we get to verify those facts, we get to see truth for what it is through social media, and, you know, through through connections through communications, so it's definitely different. And I would say I'm incredibly I would say, Yeah, I feel like you know, I'm, I've become more aware as well more educated about the situation in my country, how people you know, like outside of Yangon, like in the north like in Sakai or in Kachin state, or in the in state or in Rakhine State, for example, that people lead they have been suffering you know, they like this. They definitely experiencing this all their lives and we don't know about this, and it's kind of heartwarming to see that everyone is, you know, fighting for you know, inclusivity and you know, that we're not like when we're fighting this we are reminding ourselves that we're not just fighting for for more people, you know, we're fighting for I don't know that for unity. I guess you No, because, like I said, it has become clear that what we experienced in the past was all propaganda. And that in order for change to happen, we have to be more open minded and aware and put everything into the equation.
Host 35:19
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And if we'll come back to reality in just a second, but if you were to be able to like wave a magic wand, what would unity look like to you? What do you think that that sort of bright shining star in the future would end up looking like or being for Myanmar?
Sai 35:40
That's a very great question. I would say if I have a magic wand, I would perhaps go back in time, before general HomeSense assassination, Johnson is Dawson su chi is father, who was like, like a prominent figure, like the father of the nation, because before he was assassinated, Myanmar was actually, you know, transitioning into a more inclusive state, I would say, but the coup happened that the coup general instigated by generally wouldn't happen. And I think starting from that point, the country just started spiraling down, just started devolving until into the state that we see today. So, and I'm not, not sure if this is true or not. But I've heard stories from my parents and my grandparents, that Myanmar truly was a, I would say, very developed country, like before the 60s, but it was one of the most economically successful nations in Southeast Asia, like we exported, we exported a lot of like rice, and like our country was abundant in natural resources. You know, everything was just going well, you know, I mean, even like, there was a house, like a diplomat from from Myanmar, who was like the Secretary State of the United Nations. And so yeah, I mean, back in the days, I guess it has also to do something with the country being colonized by Britain before. But yeah, after just, you know, after that point in time, things just started. Yeah, everything else just becomes a nightmare, essentially.
Host 37:34
Yeah, a downward spiral, if you will. And interestingly enough, you know, every every well has a bottom. And the bottom is oftentimes the best place to push off of, so you can go back up to the surface. And so, yeah, so if you could, again, you know, that I think that was a great, you know, pointing to what was there before, what is actually possible, what actually had developed at one point in time until it was sort of taken away by that coup, and the I think it was the 60s, you said? And so in the future? What, what might that look like? What I mean, is, is there a unity? Is there sort of togetherness, or what sort of, you know, comes out of this, lets, you know, you don't want to look too far into the future, you want to stay firmly rooted in the present and firmly rooted in the situation we find ourselves in but also I do wonder what, what sort of is the motivating vision? What is the thing that that that kind of you feel, brings people forward and makes people feel hope?
Sai 38:48
Um, I mean, first of all, just a disclaimer, like, I'm not an expert on like politics, like on politics in general. Speaking from personal experience, I would say, a united Myanmar is a country where, you know, we just accept people for who they are, because like, it also has to do with the regime's propaganda that you know, pitting, like ethnic groups against each other, that, you know, there's always this like narrative that they're the bad guys, and we're the good guys. And I think in order to have a truly united, Myanmar truly united country, we really have to eliminate those preconceived ideas. You know, that there's no good or bad, it's just that we were fighting for change. And if we truly want to see change, we have to accept everyone for who they are, you know, I mean, it's, it's, it's easier said than done, but I guess that's what the national unity government the annual He envisions and so far, like, as far as I know, everyone agrees with this, you know, like, you know, like to to see a united country without like all this like internal conflict because I just learned like maybe a couple of days before that, like Myanmar has like one of the longest ongoing civil wars in the world. And this goes way back, like, I think even before general onset, like before the 60s. So like, going back to what I previously said, like people from, you know, like many ethnic groups outside of like, the central part of Myanmar, they've been fighting for independence and inclusion, inclusion all their lives. So, yeah, in order to see, you know, the country really have to, you know, put those ideas on the table and take everything into consideration.
Host 40:55
Yeah, absolutely. To an acceptance, an opening and a, hopefully a be a being present with the other being being present with someone who is not exactly like you, but is also very much like you at the end of the day. Yeah, absolutely. So I was wondering, sort of in that vein of, of hope, but also in the vein of struggle and change, if you had any poems that you would like to read?
Sai 41:30
Yes. So I wrote a poem back in April 20. I got inspired that this poem was inspired by a CDM teacher, I think in in I guess, in Kachin State, she's wearing a red shirt with a quote that says, what is coming is better than what is gone. And like part of my poetry is is that I tend to get inspired from like, real events and real tragedies, and I turned them into like my art. So this is what I wrote. There is no hope without change, no change without great sacrifice, blood, sweat and tears we have shed for a new just world ahead. Rebellions are built on hope. What is coming will be better than what is gone. So this is one of the poems and beautiful beautiful Yes,
Host 42:38
I was just gonna say that, that speaks so well to exactly the thing that we were just talking about. That's That's gorgeous. And yeah, and go ahead. Please another
Sai 42:48
show. Then. The last one would be this was in February 6. This was one of the regime soldiers shot a student from a BF su which stands for all Burma Federation of student unions. He he was shot to death for for merely holding anti dictatorship banners near your inner lake in Yangon. And this is what I wrote yet another life taken for an act as harmless as holding a campaign banner where in the world can you witness such inhumanity? How in the world? Can we let this tyranny run free? So this is why I wrote
Host 43:50
Thank you. Thank you that that again, that speaks to that sort of focus and purposeful action. How do you feel you connect to the action if you will? How do you feel? What do you feel your role is?
Sai 44:16
Um, I guess for me, everyone who is a Myanmar national, even those of us, you know, who are seeking asylum elsewhere or living abroad in the comfort of our homes? I think for me, at least I am completely aware of my privilege. You know, I have a roof above my head. I don't have to worry about breakfast or lunch. You know, so I, I feel like it's a civic responsibility for me to speak out. Because I have a voice. I have a voice and many of us in Myanmar don't Has there been silence and, you know, I just have this duty that I have to speak out no matter what I have to sacrifice my time and energy and put as much effort as I can into the revolution. So my role is, of course, you know, spreading awareness. That's number one. The second thing, like I said, I try to kind of like, ensure that people especially like the world and the international community, don't abandon us, you know, because I feel like the world has completely shut us out and left us to fend for ourselves. And in a way, my role would be kind of like reaching out. And just just letting people know that, you know, just please don't give up on us. I know that the news, like what's happening in Myanmar has kind of like, lost momentum in like, international news. So that's what I hoped for. And that's what I'm trying to accomplish.
Host 46:21
Thank you, sigh. I appreciate your words. I appreciate your energy. I appreciate that role that you're playing. I do think it's important. I do think it's, you know, exactly what you said is spot on for what someone in your position can do, and you are doing the thing. And I hope you continue. I am now following you on Instagram. So I'm going to keep looking out for those words of inspiration. And keep looking out for that, that beacon of hope that propels us forward. Thank you. Indeed. Thank you so much for your time. And yeah, is there anything else? Are there any other projects or as anywhere that you want to direct people's attention? If anyone listening can go and do something or connect with you in some way? Where can they go?
Sai 47:18
Um, I don't really have like bid plans, because my focus right now is on writing poetry. Of course, I'm also helping the movement in Myanmar many ways, like making regular donations to PDF, and, you know, doing the click to donate. And so for projects, like I mentioned, I'm writing I love writing. So I've been writing, I would say, a collection of fictional, dystopian stories that is heavily inspired by the revolution. And by everything that's happening in Myanmar, they're still they're still in an early phase. But once the quality of the content reaches my expectations, then I have plans to kind of find a way to get it out. And hopefully, you know, if I receive any monetary support, I'm going to donate every cent to this costs. Because you know, if you're a true Myanmar national, who loves your country and wants to see this regime crumble to dust, that's what you would do. So that's what I've been working on.
Host 48:30
Perfect, perfect. And you're if someone wanted to find you on Instagram, what is your Instagram handle?
Sai 48:35
My Instagram account is the poetry account is in the land of gold and grief.
Host 48:43
Perfect, perfect. Well, so I thank you so much for your time very much. Appreciate it. Best of luck in your future endeavors again, continue writing. We need you everyone needs you. So thankful that you do. You're doing the work that you're doing.
Sai 49:00
Thank you. Thank you so much for the opportunity. Yeah, I would just like to say something. Yeah, is that I really appreciate, like the team's effort that your team's effort. I've actually been following insight Myanmar for maybe like two that way before the coup? Oh, yeah. Because like you guys, like you guys, like focus on like, you know, bringing awareness on like, like Buddhism and like insight meditation. And, you know, in a sense, you guys really inspire my practice as well. So that's, that's what I want to say, before we end.
Host 49:43
After today's discussion, it should be clear to everyone just how dire the current situation isn't Myanmar. We're doing our best to shine a light on the ongoing crisis. And we thank you for taking the time to listen. If you found today's talk of value, please consider passing it along to friends in your network. and please also consider letting them know that there is now a way to give the supports the most vulnerable, and to those who are especially impacted by the military's organized state terror. Any donations given to our nonprofit mission that are Burma will go to the vulnerable communities being impacted by the coup. If you would like to join in our mission to support those in Myanmar who are being impacted by the military coup, we welcome your contribution in any form, currency or transfer method. Your donation will go on to support a wide range of humanitarian and media missions, aiding those local communities who need it most. Donations are directed to such causes as the Civil Disobedience movement CDM families of deceased victims, internally displaced person IDP camps, food for impoverished communities, military defection campaigns, undercover journalists, refugee camps, monasteries and nunneries education initiatives, the purchasing of protective equipment and medical supplies COVID relief and more. We also make sure that our donation Fund supports a diverse range of religious and ethnic groups across the country. We invite you to visit our website to learn more about past projects as well as upcoming needs. You can give a general donation or earmark your contribution to a specific activity or project you would like to support, perhaps even something you heard about in this very episode. All of this humanitarian work is carried out by our nonprofit mission that are Burma. And your donation you give on our insight Myanmar website is directed towards this fund. Alternatively, you can also visit the better Burma website better burma.org and donate directly there. In either case, your donation goes to the same cause in both websites except credit card. You can also give via PayPal by going to paypal.me/better Burma. Additionally, we can take donations through Patreon Venmo GoFundMe and Cash App. Simply search better Burma on each platform and you'll find our account. You can also visit either website for specific links to these respective accounts or email us at info at better burma.org. That's better Burma. One word, spelled b e t t e r B urma.org. If you'd like to give it another way, please contact us. We also invite you to check out our range of handicrafts that are sourced from vulnerable artists and communities across Myanmar available at a local crafts.com Any purchase will not only support these artists and communities, but also our nonprofits wider mission. That's Aloka Crafts spelled a l o k a c r a f t s one word alokacrafts.com Thank you so much for your kind consideration and support.