2008 Woodie Awards
In A Grain of Sand - Democracy is the Color Red
Dahlia Rizk
Issue date: 10/4/07 Section: Commentary
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All I could see was the red. The vibrant color of the Buddhist monks' robes against the dreary somber streets of Rangoon. All I could hear was the clapping. The clapping of the people as they walked along with them and joined in. The clapping that was louder than the bullets and machine guns of the junta militia not too far in the distance. And the robes kept flowing, and the monks kept walking. And the people kept clapping.
On September 18, the Buddhist monks in Burma lead the first of many mass demonstrations in the city of Sittwe, peacefully protesting against an unexplained hike in fuel prices that then inflated the costs of most staple foods in an economy already rampant with poverty. And even with the threat of violence and torture by the state militia, the demonstrations grew in number and size over the next few days.
The media and the telecommunications of the age became one of the biggest assets of the activists. Everything from blogs to the video I was watching on YouTube taken by a firsthand witness helped to get the word out against a regime so suppressive that it cut off the internet on Friday. A regime that, ever since seizing power in 1962, has rooted out any opposition -- systematically and brutally.
A little history on violence in Burma is necessary to put all of this in context. There were the demonstrations at the 1974 state funeral of U Thant, the third Secretary-General of the United Nations, who was himself from Burma, and who had often challenged the Burmese dictatorship while in office. Then, in 1988 and 1989 hundreds of activists were massacred by the state police during more protests against the harsh economic conditions and political oppression. From then on, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) staged a coup and declared martial law. Ironically, free democratic elections were held there a year later with democracy activist (and, in 1991, Nobel Laureate) Aung San Suu Kyi elected as Prime Minister. However, she continues to live under house arrest after the regime ruled the elections results null and void.
On September 18, the Buddhist monks in Burma lead the first of many mass demonstrations in the city of Sittwe, peacefully protesting against an unexplained hike in fuel prices that then inflated the costs of most staple foods in an economy already rampant with poverty. And even with the threat of violence and torture by the state militia, the demonstrations grew in number and size over the next few days.
The media and the telecommunications of the age became one of the biggest assets of the activists. Everything from blogs to the video I was watching on YouTube taken by a firsthand witness helped to get the word out against a regime so suppressive that it cut off the internet on Friday. A regime that, ever since seizing power in 1962, has rooted out any opposition -- systematically and brutally.
A little history on violence in Burma is necessary to put all of this in context. There were the demonstrations at the 1974 state funeral of U Thant, the third Secretary-General of the United Nations, who was himself from Burma, and who had often challenged the Burmese dictatorship while in office. Then, in 1988 and 1989 hundreds of activists were massacred by the state police during more protests against the harsh economic conditions and political oppression. From then on, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) staged a coup and declared martial law. Ironically, free democratic elections were held there a year later with democracy activist (and, in 1991, Nobel Laureate) Aung San Suu Kyi elected as Prime Minister. However, she continues to live under house arrest after the regime ruled the elections results null and void.
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