Freedom

I never thought too much about the word 'Freedom' before. I have grown up in a comfortable and easy environment with the opportunity to do whatever I please. I wake up on Saturday mornings shouting freedom and all I mean is that the weekend allows me to escape from my torturous weekday routine of going to work, cooking and looking after a child. But these words - freedom, escape, torture - have so much deeper a meaning in a country like Myanmar.

The political history of this country is - like most military ruled countries - a very sad one. Myanmar (or Burma) has been under military rule since 1962 and the senior military officials not only control the politics but also people's lives and the their economy. There is no freedom of press or opinion as you could be put in prison for saying what you believe in. One of the biggest pro-democracy protests took place in 1988 - know as 8888 - when the military killed and imprisoned thousands of protesters.

I was invited to a music event last evening. It took me around 15 minutes to drive across the city to a lovely residential area. I drove into a magnificent big house with a slopping red roof and big french windows. At the end of the large tropical garden, filled with ferns and sweet smelling flowers, was a lake! It was the prettiest house I had ever seen. I can imagine waking up and sitting by the lake in the morning - ah, how much more fun my morning cup of coffee would be in a place like this! When I walked in, the garden was full of people - singers, writers, and community workers I was told. On the veranda, just outside the house and facing the garden, were six men - four of whom looked elderly - singing beautiful country style songs in Burmese. The four older men played a leading role in the 8888 pro-democracy movement. They were all bright young men at that time studying in one of Yangon's most prestigious universities called the Institute of Technology. They were all active members of the Students' Union and therefore vocal during the 8888 movement. They were sent to prison in 1988 for ten years - blacking out a big chunk of their youth. When they came out of prison they decided to start singing - I couldn't understand the words - but their voices were enough to touch my soul.

The Burmese believe a lot in numerology and therefore the 1988 riots are refered to as 8888. They think that this year, the military will finally announce elections on 10th October i.e. 101010!

Freedom here is not limited to the big things in life - it affects everything. Myanmar is probably one of those few countries in the world where your cell phone will not work - there is no roaming facility available here. A sim card costs $1500! It used to cost twice as much till six months ago is what I am told. There is only one cell phone company here - of course, owned by a member of the ruling junta - and it is under government control. Therefore, even if one is ready to pay $1500 for the sim card there is no guarantee that one would get it. Also, a lot of websites can not be accessed from the country - including hotmail and yahoo. I have to say, 10 days of such limited communication with the outside world did feel a bit strange.