Myanmar (Burma)

I am a second generation Canadian whose family comes from Myanmar. While my brother was born there, I was born in Canada. Growing up, Burmese was my first language until I entered the school system. Even though English quickly became my main language, my father was very engaged in the Burmese community and so exposed me to a lot of aspects of the culture and traditions. When he passed away, about 10 years ago as of writing this, I lost many of my connections to that community. My main exposure then came from my aunts and uncles who would come over from time to time.

It wasn’t until I was in my third year Visual Arts course at UBC that I realized how much culture I had lost. A speaker came to class one day and suggested that we build our body of artwork around a central theme. As I pondered this theme, it came to me that I should focus on my roots to study and reacquaint myself with them. It just so happened that this time of realization coincided with my first trip to Myanmar in nearly 20 years. My mother, aunts, uncles, and cousin were all going back together.

This trip changed my life.

Being in Myanmar was a dizzying experience. It was odd to hear so many people speaking Burmese around me, encouraging me to speak as well. I met family members I had never met before, and learnt about the history of my families – like where my parents got married or where my great grandfather used to live. We went to many temples, exploring and praying at each one.

The entire experience has informed my art practice, from exploring my heritage to political strife and social issues in the country. Myanmar showed me the rich culture that I was missing but could begin to regain with effort. Ever since then, I have been much more conscious of acknowledging my roots and sharing aspects of it with the next generation of my family.