The Irrawaddy News Magazine [Covering Burma and Southeast Asia]

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CD Marks 20th Anniversary of 8-8-88

MARCH, 2008 - VOLUME 16 NO.3

CD Marks 20th Anniversary of 8-8-88

The journey of Burma’s democracy movement has inspired Burmese writer Yeni to produce a CD dedicated to the hopes, aspirations and struggles of the Burmese people in August 1988—and today.

About 10 musicians based in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai perform on the CD, titled “New Light Festival” and produced by Yeni, a writer and senior journalist at The Irrawaddy magazine. Jo Rangsan Rasri Dip, the two-time winner of Thailand’s Season Award, honoring the best of the country’s music industry, co-produced the album and recorded it at his Duem Dontri studio in Chiang Mai.

Musician-journalist Yeni

Five of the seven compositions on the CD were written by Yeni over the last 20 years. The songs evoke the experiences of many thousands of exiles, with lyrics recalling his life in Burma in 1988, in the jungle with the student army of the All Burma Students Democratic Front, and in refugee camps on the Thai-Burmese border. “With music, I can express much that is beyond the power of words alone,” Yeni said.

The CD will be released in March. The songs will also be uploaded to various Web sites and can be heard by Burmese audiences everywhere via the BBC, VOA, RFA and DVB broadcast stations.