I’ve worked in and on Myanmar since 2017, and its a place that rarely gets the headlines, yet is deeply complex. The West made Aung San Suu Kyi into a heroine that they wanted to see, but that she never was nor could be, and then villified her soon after.
And this spread across more than just media, but also deep into the psyche of many international organisations that worked in the country post 2015. They ignored the reality of what was happening, which included genocide and ethnic cleansing, in favour of the dream of this brave, new Myanmar under The Lady’s rule. Dream being the operative word.
And all of this came to a head on the 1st February 2021. This video became iconic – Khing Hnin Wai was completely oblivious to the Myanmar Coup d’Etat happening behind her. Literally, live streaming it as it happened, while carrying right on with her workout.
The Coup was and is heartbreaking, the brutality is endless, and the dissonance of so many in the international world stunning. But holy shit, this remains one of the funniest things I have seen.
Life Changing Times 