Repression in Burma: A Public Reading with Khet Mar

For those of you who may have missed it, Tuesday’s event with Khet Mar was a great success, with over 50 people piled into the Shadow Lounge. Khet Mar was kind enough to give us a reading from some of her works, along with a short history of the oppression in Burma. Just in case you haven't seen any of the promotion we did for the event, let me tell you a bit about Khet Mar. She is a journalist, novelist, short story writer, poet, and essayist from Burma. Author of one novel, Wild Snowy Night, as well as several collections of short stories, essays and poems, her work has been translated into English and Japanese, been broadcast on radio, and made into a film. She has been exiled writer-in-residence in City of Asylum/Pittsburgh since March 2009.

The next clip, “Eyes of the Storm”, was a documentary about the cyclone that hit Burma in 2008 and the lack of support the people received from the government. The clip explained that the storm left around 2 million people homeless and without any resources to rebuild their lives. The government went on state television and explained that they had everything “under control”, although this was not the case. Not only were soldiers eating the food that was supposed to be for the displaced civilians, but the government also denied international assistance and food supplies that had arrived at their borders. The devastation from the storm was unbearable for the people living there and their struggle still continues today, with a continued lack of support from the Burmese government.

Although Khet Mar was soft spoken, she had a lot to say about her experiences and about her country. In the end there was nothing positive responses from the audience for her bravery to speak out against the injustices and oppression of Burmese government.

----

This event was sponsored by the Amnesty International Film Group - Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Human Rights Network and City of Asylum/Pittsburgh.