Ethnic Entertainers Make the Scene
covering burma and southeast asia
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Magazine

CULTURE

Ethnic Entertainers Make the Scene


By Min Zin MAY, 2003 - VOLUME 11 NO.4


COMMENTS (0)
RECOMMEND (283)
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
PLUSONE
 
MORE
E-MAIL
PRINT
Burma’s ethnic diversity hasn’t translated into equal representation in the entertainment industry, but young ethnic stars are gradually rising above the prejudice held by the Burman majority. Back in the 1970s, when Sai Khan Lait would walk the city streets to go to school at Mandalay Medical Institute, kids along the way would heckle him for his peculiar attire: an ethnic Shan outfit. When hanging around campus, schoolgirls simpered at him. When at the hospital, he would be roundly upbraided by the nurses. "As a student coming from an ethnic minority group, I was very much aware that my life would not be easy in Mandalay," says Sai Khan Lait, who has since become the most famous and respected composer of original modern music in Burma. "Those experiences were deeply personal, and compelled me to compose the song, ‘A Shan Living in Mandalay’." The song went on to become one of the biggest hits in Burmese pop music history. I don’t swap my identity with others I am proud of being a hill person But it’s not easy to be a Shan living in Mandalay —"A Shan Living in Mandalay" Like most other ethnic entertainers looking to break into the national scene, Khan Lait had to hurdle walls of discrimination and prejudice. And while much of his work reflects on his untoward encounters in the predominantly Burman cities, Khan Lait never conceals the proud fact that he is Shan. His ethnic pride was tested, however, when he fell in love with a woman who was ethnically Burman. Heated pressure to reconsider his affection came not only from Burmans, but from his own ethnic peers as well. "After I married my Burmese wife, my Shan community freaked out," remembers Khan Lait. "They didn’t talk to me for a year." Earlier in his career, Khan Lait only composed songs in the Shan language, but his affection for his wife compelled him to start putting his music to Burmese lyrics. But Khan Lait’s amorous exploit is not applauded by all Shan, particularly the younger generation. "I would never marry a Burmese woman," vows Sai Bo Bo, a 28-year-old model who was born and raised in Shan State. "I have a responsibility to preserve my ethnicity. I’ll surely marry a Shan woman." Not that he’s turned his back on Burma. "I see my country as a union," explains Bo Bo, "but people don’t treat one another as equals." When speaking to his friends in Shan amid Burmans, he says, the latter would deride him for his choice of language. Burmanization has proved an irrepressible phenomenon, and has served the majority Burmans well. Burmanization is a typical practice of the dominant group to ride roughshod over the minority. Bo Bo says, "It’s not only Burmans versus Shan—we can also see how Shan mistreat the Pa-O a sub-ethnic group in Shan State. I hate it." Unfortunately, ethno-racism has plagued efforts at national unification for decades. Racist attitudes, whether concealed or flagrant, are found among all societies in various degrees and forms. But such grudges run especially deep in newer, post-colonial nations, where textbooks excoriate imperial powers for destroying the glory days of old and government statements feed citizens a steady diet of propaganda and political diatribes against outside intruders. In military-ruled Burma, however, ethno-racism thrives and proliferates in the dark. Since the country gained independence in 1948, ethno-racism has gained enormous destructive power as successive military regimes have systematically advanced such bigotry to bolster their legitimacy and to detract the masses from turmoil at home. Burma is a mosaic of ethnic diversity, but that has not translated into equal representation in the entertainment industry. Ethnic minorities and indigenous people represent one-third of the country’s 52 million inhabitants, which speak more than 100 different languages and dialects. Yet, the Burman-dominated military is bent on Burmanizing the entire country by eliminating—through military and other means—any potentially threatening vestiges of cultural independence in predominantly non-Burman areas. Thus, for young ethnic stars to make their mark on Burma’s entertainment landscape, they must assimilate into the Burman’s culture. But with this rise in popularity, observers have begun to explore the dynamics of Burma’s ethnic relations and the ethnic influence in popular culture. "When I speak Burmese, I have a difficult time adjusting my Chin accent," explains the 21-year-old superstar model, Thet Mon Myint. Born and raised in Chin State, she moved to Rangoon a few years ago after graduating from high school and is now a second-year economics student. After arriving in the capital, she gave up her given Chin name, Zung Cer Mawi, to become Thet Mon Myint. Since adopting the Burmese moniker, she says she never experiences ethnic discrimination, but actually receives encouragement from her adoring fans.


1  |  2  next page »

COMMENTS (0)
 
Please read our policy before you post comments. Click here
Name:
E-mail:   (Your e-mail will not be published.)
Comment:
You have characters left.
Word Verification: captcha Type the characters you see in the picture.
 

more articles in this section