Burma Link, September 23, 2013

A US based not for profit Art and Activism Project, Roots To Resistance, has created a global art campaign to raise voices for the ethnic people of Burma. Denise Beaudet, the local artist behind Roots To Resistance and the Burma Project, has created artistic postcards that raise the voice for Burma’s ethnic nationalities and are pre-addressed to ASEAN in order to bring international attention to Burma’s ethnic issues.

The Burma Postcards, available in English and Burmese, raise important historical and current issues faced by Burma’s ethnic nationalities, such as displacement, non-inclusion, war, poverty, stolen lands and resources as well as profound violence which has been perpetrated against them. The cards will be sent all over the world and put in the hands of people inside Burma and around the world. In this way, the people will have an opportunity to pass their voices forward by mailing the cards on to ASEAN in Indonesia.

The Postcards are meant to “draw people in visually and invite them to further investigate the issues by turning to the text on the back side, reading the important information and being inspired enough to use their voices to speak out in support by sending these postcards on to their ultimate destination: ASEAN”, explains Denise Beaudet. “By focusing our attention on sending printed rather than virtual materials, we are reaching out to Communities that do not have access to computers and internet”.

Given the history of violence and non-inclusion suffered by Burma’s ethnic nationalities, there is grave concern among them for their lives, homes and resources, as the profound rush toward development in Burma is focused on ethnic areas. The Burma Postcard Campaign is thus addressed to ASEAN leaders who decide about investing economically and developmentally inside of Burma. The cards ask ASEAN leaders to put an end to the rush for investment and grabbing of resources and land in a country which is still profoundly behind on providing basic human rights to its myriad ethnic nationality groups.

Roots to Resistance is currently fundraising to make its Burma Postcard Campaign their largest campaign to date. The first patch has already been sent inside Burma and to the Thailand-Burma border and Roots to Resistance is currently working to have more Burma cards sent all over the globe.

Denise Beaudet also recently finished a large scale painted portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi, one of 12 paintings created to share the stories, voices, and critically important work of 12 International Women Activists with people and communities across the entire globe. These paintings intend to bring voice and visibility to these women as well as inspiration and opportunity for others to become engaged citizens in their own communities.

If you come across the Burma Project Postcards, we want to hear from you! Send us a picture or a story of how these cards have impacted or inspired you or your community, or feedback or stories about how the Postcards were used and how you received them. Roots To Resistance will offer free Postcards to be sent to anyone who would like to share their voices on this matter. Email us at voice@burmalink.org

For more information, read Burma Link’s interview with Denise Beaudet:

Why did you decide to do a campaign for the people of Burma?

Roots To Resistance is painting the 8 foot Portraits of 12 International Women Activists doing risky and profoundly important work in their Communities and on this Planet. Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the Women that we chose to portray because of her long History of Resistance and sacrifice in the face of enormous pressure and risk. In addition to these painted Portraits we also create Postcard and Street Postering campaigns which support, strengthen and continue the work that these Women have started in the service of their People. In the case of Aung San Suu Kyi and this campaign we were challenged. We have profound respect for the life of this amazing Woman who has brought attention to the challenges of Burma’s People, but she is making the very difficult shift from resisting outside of the mainstream political workings to trying to make change from the inside. This is no easy task and in making that shift she has been less able to be the voice for all People. Thus we have decided to pick up the torch that she and her Father before her once lit many years ago in support of the Indigenous Nationals and carry it forward with this campaign which loudly demands that the Ethnic National Communities of Burma be treated equally with respect to lands, resources, peace, political inclusion and religious freedoms . Particularly in this time that the messages we hear in the West only speak of how Burma is opening up to investment and how much positive change is arriving for the People of this Country. Very little is even known about the lives and challenges of Burma’s People, particularly Indigenous People and nothing is known about the threats to Peoples lands, homes and resources as investment races in. We are determined to tell this story as we translate and send the Postcards to every continent on the Globe!

What does the campaign involve?

Roots To Resistance has created postcards with a text which gives a brief history of Burma’s Ethnic Nationals and the challenges they have faced in Historic Burma as well as what they will be facing in a changing Burma. Issues like displacement, non inclusion, war, poverty, stolen lands and resources and profound violence which has been perpetrated against them. These Postcards will be mailed around the World to our 75+ Roots To Resistance Partner Organizations. We print and mail these Postcards for free to all of our partners across the Planet and they in turn agree to put them into the hands of People in their Communities. The Postcards are meant to draw People in visually and invite them to further investigate the issues by turning to the text on the back side, reading the important information and being inspired enough to use their voices to speak out in support by sending these Postcards on to their ultimate destination: ASEAN.

What do you hope to achieve with this campaign?

Above all else Roots To Resistance seeks to inform People, move them, inspire them, enrage them, give them avenues for small action with the Postcards and an ability to use their voices by mailing the Postcards in support of something they believe in. It is a small act but if it is a passionate act, a sincere act then it is an important act. It is also an act not done in a virtual internet World. These Postcards and Street Posters are sent in the real World and will be received physically and in person by someone on the other side of the World. So there are real physical connections being made. We do not seek to make giant policy changes or move the entrenched mountains of Political administrations but instead seek to build partnership and raised voices among the People.

Raise Your Voice With Roots To Resistance www.denisebeaudet.com

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