Imagine a conversation that ranges from The Life of Brian to the modern Burmese Sangha, from The Godfather to trashy Burmese style romance movies, from Eminem to Ashin Wirathu… and lots more in between. That is the discussion that follows with the artist, "Bart Was Not Here." Bart employs an unpredictable blend of classical influences with modern, often Western pop influences in support of his main underlying theme: social commentary on contemporary Burmese society. 

Bart’s primary artistic inspirations specialized in “worldbuilding”—the creation of a unique world, with all the elements of that world, believable—and that is his own creative motivation. As one might imagine, the present situation has deeply affected Bart, both as a Burmese citizen, and an artist, and he has used his artistic talent to support the movement. His works this year are strong, artistic statements on his feelings about the current situation. 

Perhaps surprisingly, though, Bart did not intend any of these pieces as “political statements,” per se. He views this artwork as a kind of diary about the protest movement. One of his most well-received recent works is a rendition of a photograph of a military truck being attacked and bursting into flames. For Bart, like for so many Burmese, this moment was the first time that the bully who had been terrorizing them had finally been finally punched in the nose. 

Staying true to his artistic inspirations, Bart continues to temper his driving home of powerful messages with a sideswipe of parody or satire. Hs explains that humor exposes the generals not as karmically-endowed divine leaders, but rather poorly-educated, deteriorating old men.

See here for the full description: https://insightmyanmar.org/complete-shows/2021/11/20/episode-79-bart-was-not-here

Bart Was Not Here

On July 7th, the official account of the European Union in Myanmar posted a two-minute video urging factories in conflict-torn Myanmar to re-open, charging that the factory shutdowns had driven former employees to poverty and even prostitution. In response, many charged that the EU was trying to manipulate Burmese voices to advocate for a policy that would benefit themselves but goes against the aspirations of the democracy movement. Today’s guest, Maung Maung, currently president of the Confederation of Trade Unions in Myanmar (CTUM), addresses this video, as well as labor’s role in the current revolution and the overall conditions for Myanmar’s workers. While Maung Maung does not dispute an accusation in the video that the closed factories harm ordinary Burmese workers, he believes it is hurting the regime more, and that is the current priority. Maung Maung also found the video highly offensive because it is quite chauvinistic and insulting for Western powers to try and “educate” the Burmese people on the dangers of local young women turning to prostitution. To make matters worse, the junta has picked up on the video and has begun to promote it as a way to normalize their brutal regime, meaning that, in effect, the EU has managed to provide the Tatmadaw with a key piece of propaganda to boost their rule. Yet, as hard as things are now in the country, Maung Maung is hopeful for the future. “We are winning. We want people to not just think like well, ‘The military is going to win again.’ No, it is not!”

See here for more information: https://insightmyanmar.org/complete-shows/2022/8/9/episode-116-have-pity-on-the-working-man

Have Pity on the Working Man

From the moment that the Burmese military’s tanks started rolling into the streets, we here at Insight Myanmar Podcast knew we had to act. In the weeks and months that followed, we transformed our podcast programming, essays and blogs to fill the gaping holes in most mainstream media coverage, and give Burmese voices a direct outlet to the world. 

Our interviews go beyond simple sound bites or short summaries, and delve into longform discussions to allow the stories of our guests to unfold in detail. They are asked to speak extensively about their background, experiences, and perspectives to better educate and inform our listener base. 

We continue to be committed to bringing a wide and diverse range of authentic voices—artists, political activists, and others, from all different religious and ethnic backgrounds—to listeners around the world.

Please note that only selected episodes from our podcast feed archive are uploaded here. If you'd like to listen to new episodes, please subscribe here: https://insightmyanmar.org/how-to-listen-1