Repressed and mismanaged by a cadre of generals since 1962, Burma erupted last September in the country's largest pro-democracy demonstrations in two decades. But when government troops opened fire into crowds of monks and students and detained thousands in nighttime raids, fear sent people into hiding and swept defiance from the streets.
A Dangerous Palette for Burma's Artists
Published February 8, 2008
It's only mid-morning, and sitting in his simple studio in the shadow of some of Rangoon's wealthiest mansions, Thein Soe is already exhausted.
Soe, not his real name, is bone-thin at 61, with smoke-yellowed hair, and a face like the Scream. An artist for most of his life, Soe was 16 when General Ne Win took power in Burma in a military coup. He's since weathered the military junta's 46 year-rule on his country, watching it crush pro-democracy demonstrations, turn one of the wealthiest Southeast Asian economies upside down and quash all freedom of expression.
He may be tired, but Soe is not a beaten man. From the studio in his quiet home, he still tries to capture the truths of his country in his paintings, installations and performance art. It's not always a truth that's savored by the government.
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In a rare outing from the Rangoon home in which she is imprisoned, democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi met wi
As part of Pulitzer Center's Global Gateway Georgetown students have undertaken awareness campaigns around their campus community based on issues covered by Pulitzer Center journalists.
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Jacob Baynham is a freelance journalist who has spent much of his life in Asia. He is a graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism, and has filed stories from Afghanistan, Laos, Hong...
