Life in Myanmar : A Historical Concert



Jason Mraz - in a T-shirt that says
Slavery Sucks

Wow! Time flies indeed and I’ve been in the Golden Land for 8 months now. The last couple of months have been busy – both on the work-front as well as the visitors-front J And with the rapid pace of development in Myanmar, I can only assume that things will get busier and therefore, time will whizz by faster!

Over the weekend of December 16^th 2012 to be exact, Myanmar was the stage
for the historical MTV EXIT (www.mtvexit.org ) concert held at the People’s Square in Yangon. Organized by MTV EXIT – an award-winning multimedia initiative to raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking and exploitation, the concert aims to raise awareness and educate the public about the dangers of human trafficking and encourages all to take part in ending modern day slavery.

This would be the 3^rd time I am involved with the MTV EXIT efforts – twice
in Cambodia (via my own business) and now in Myanmar as a sponsor (City Mart is the Distribution Partner for the concert tickets). MOH, was even luckier – this is his second time being involved in the concert on a behind-the-scene role. I consider us lucky to be a part of fighting the rights to be FREE and to end exploitation – a cause which I am strongly in support of.

Human trafficking is a tragic crime that enslaves and exploits its victims, the majority of which are women and children. According to statistical figures, there are more than 20 million people living in slavery around the world with Myanmar and Southeast Asia particularly affected. Knowing the message was an important one, I decided to bring the children from the centres where I volunteer to go for the concert. Unfortunately (and perhaps very fortunately!), we only took the kids who were above 15 years old to the concert. Given the expected 100,000 crowd, we were not taking chances of any 5 year-olds going missing!  

And thus, the Big Day arrived. I was lucky – I had a sponsor-pass. The kids had the general admission tickets. Nevertheless, we all made plans to meet early at the entrances. Roads were closed and Yangon traffic came to a standstill. At 2pm, the queue for the concert was already miles long. But all these lovely people of Myanmar waited in excitement under the scorching sun. Thank God it is the cold season now or we would all have passed out from the heat! We briefed the children and all the big-hearted volunteers on the entrance plans, the exit plans and the in-case-we-lose-each-other plans. It was a good thing we did because as we shoved and pushed our way through the entrance, I did successfully lose ALL of the kids and the volunteers eventually! You see, I think the organizing team for the crowd management and logistics did a pretty bad planning job. The crowds pushed past the barricades and gates as everyone wanted the best standing spot in the house! Trust me, they actually did a much better job in Cambodia! And the phone lines were also deliberately jammed as well – another very bad idea considering the crowd-size. Maybe they had reasons of their own (interference), but for people like me who was frantically trying to call the volunteers and looking for the kids, it was not funny at all. Anyway, as you read this, all 100 kids that we brought to the concert had been accounted for at the end of the day and sent back to their respective homes safely – a great THANK YOU to the team of local volunteers for their efforts!!  

The concert production and programming was splendid though. 70-crew members were flown in to set-up the stage, the lighting and the sound (definitely not a locally-produced concert!). With the shimmering Shwedagon Pagoda as the backdrop, the entire stage looked magnificent. The concert started at 5.30pm as promised and the performances went through seamlessly. The best of the best in Myanmar performed. It was clear as hell that the local artists were all very, very, VERY well-loved by the people of Myanmar. They sang their hearts out to songs (and rapped too!) by Chan Chan, Sai Sai, Chut Htu Wai, Lynn Lynn, Pyo Gyi, R. Zarni and Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein (the latter two are MTV EXIT Celebrity Ambassadors). I have to say, for someone who is still struggling with the Burmese language, the local artists, their voices and their songs were all brilliant. In fact, I am now in lurve with R. Zarni :) At the concert, R.Zarni also debuted “Traps Of Live”, a powerful song and music video about a survivor of human trafficking struggling to reintegrate into their community. Of course, I have it on mp3 now. If you asked any locals about the song, they would say, “It gave you goosebumps.”

Thailand’s top rock band – The Slot Machine got the crowd to party like a rock star to the tunes of their rock hits. Ok, it was no mean-feat to head-bang in a sardined crowd. (I even managed to take a photo with them after the concert!) In between the performances, there were speeches by the US Ambassador, Australian Ambassador, Walk Free CEO, ASEAN, UNIAP and MTV EXIT CEO. There were also videos and documentaries on human-trafficking and the issues surrounding it. Most importantly – the hotline number to call in Myanmar if one suspects someone is being trafficked, enslaved or is trafficking.

Towards 8pm, the crowd was getting a little more impatient and chants of “Jason! Jason! Jason!” echoed throughout the square. And finally, 45 minutes past 8pm, an absolutely good-looking Jason took to the stage in casual jeans and a T-shirt that says ‘Slavery Sucks’ and greeted all with a “Mingalabar Yanngggonnnn!!”. And where was I? 7-inches away from him – drooling :) Jason Mraz made history as the first international artist ever to perform in Myanmar and at such a massive-sized outdoor concert at that too. With his signature guitar slung across his shoulder throughout his 1-hour performance, he enthralled his Burmese fans with hits from his latest album – ‘Love Is A Four Letter Word’ such as ‘The Freedom Song’, ’93 Million Miles’, ‘Living In The Moment’, and ‘I Won’t Give Up’. Fans were singing along, clearly mesmerized by the sight of a real-live international artist (and his good looks!) Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein made a surprise appearance on stage much to the delight of all and together with Jason, sang ‘Lucky’ with the local artist singing the Burmese version of the song. But when Jason strummed his guitar to the tune of ‘I’m Yours’, that was when the crowd went into a frenzy – and sang.

It was a super-awesome 5-hour concert and the evening’s weather of 19 degrees was absolutely splendid. Yes, the concert was amazing, the artists were entertaining but the message behind it was serious indeed. When Jason said this on stage : “My family gave me a home… A home where I was FREE to do whatever I wanted to do and to be whoever I wanted to be….” the message resonated in my heart. I was brought up in an environment that gave me love and the freedom to do what I wanted to do with my life and to be whoever I wanted to be. It is only right that I used that FREEDOM to help others be FREE and stay FREE.

Say NO to human-trafficking and put a stop to modern day slavery, y’all!

Human Trafficking is defined by the United Nations as “the recruitment, transportation, and receipt of a person for sexual or economical exploitation by force, fraud, coercion, or deception” in order to make a profit. It is a form of modern-day slavery with the UN estimating that there are more than 20 million people living in slavery around the world, with the majority of these victims in Asia and the Pacific. It is the second-largest illegal trade after drugs, with criminal traffickers earning over US$32 billion every year through the buying and selling of human beings. Often, victims are young men and women – who are guilty only of wanting a better life.

 For more information and to take action : www.walkfree.org