Burma’s Influential Figures

Cinema
Yarzar Ne Win

Pop culture magazines are calling 2003 "Yarzar Ne Win’s year." The actor’s bold fashions and brisk dance moves belie his reserved and polite demeanor. After making a quiet entry into Burma’s entertainment scene in the mid-1990s, it took a while before the pubic warmed to his unusual style.

Since the turn of the millennium, however, Yazar Ne Win has achieved record-breaking stardom, capturing audiences with his trademark smirk. He has appeared in movies, karaoke videos and advertisements. His image is ubiquitous in Burma. His bizarre physical movements and pioneering style touch a chord with Burmese who are frustrated with their daily hardships and the military’s rigid social order. Each movie he makes earns him 1.4 million kyat (US $1,500), making him the highest paid actor in Burma’s history. Although no relation to the late dictator Ne Win, Yazar Ne Win is a grandson of another of Burma’s venerated "Thirty Comrades," Bo Zeya.

Htet Htet Moe Oo

With all of the rising stars in Burma’s film industry, Htet Htet Moe Oo still shines brighter than most. She began her acting career a decade ago, shortly after leaving her native Mogoke, the Land of Rubies, and picked up Burma’s academy award for best actress in 1996 and 2002.

Now in her early 30s, Htet Htet is not regarded as a greatly talented actress but her ability to act naturally has won her a faithful audience. You can expect to see more of her in 2004. She has already completed photo sessions for calendars and advertisements and will appear in a leading role in "Min Kyan Sit," the life story of King Kyan Sitthar from the Pagan Dynasty. The film is scheduled for release next year.

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Literature
Juu

Her writing career got off to a flying start in the late 1980s when her debut novel Ah Myat Taya (Remembrance) woke Burma’s literary world from its long slumber. Her novels first stirred controversy for endorsing Western existentialist philosophy and portraying unmarried couples living together. But after publishing about 20 novels, short story collections and essays, Juu still enjoys great success. Her most recent writings deal primarily with environmental conservation.

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Music
Sai Sai Kham Hlaing

With Hip-hop music on a firm footing in Burma, it should be no surprise that ethnic singers are also stepping into the market. Leading the way is Sai Sai Kham Hlaing, an ethnic Shan in his 20s. He got his start in showbiz modeling and performing in karaoke videos before recording his first album, Thu Nge Chin Myar Net Ahtu (With Friends). While most singers usually record only one or two songs for multi-artist compilation albums, Sai Sai Kham Hlaing released a full-length debut that topped Burma’s best-seller charts. Teenage fans like his relaxed sound and fashion. His latest release, February Mhat Tan (February’s Record), has also been a hit, both as an audio CD and as a karaoke video.

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Academics
Dr Than Tun

At 80 years old, historian Dr Than Tun has experienced the best and worst of Burma. His prolific academic career spans more than a half century and three continents. In 1956 he was awarded a doctorate in history from the School of Oriental and African Studies at London University for his thesis, "History of Buddhism in Burma, AD 1000-1300." His ten-volume publication, "Royal Orders of Burma," earned him an honorary doctorate of literature from Northern Illinois University in 1988.