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After Darfur and Tiber, the celebrities are jumping on the Burma bandwagon. With the help of Fanista, a social networking and entertainment retail site, the celebrities are making 30 videos this month later to be distributed on YouTube and other video sites highlighting the plight of the Burmese people. In light of the recent tragedy wrecked by Cyclone Nargis, raising awareness on the atrocities of the junta seems more urgent. Admittedly, the campaign is designed on the lines of a PR campaign but probably that’s what works in today’s world of disaster fatigue given the destruction seen right here in the U.S. courtesy the incessant flooding and tornadoes. One of the videos that is making the waves is that of Ellen Page from the movie, Juno holding a picture of Burma’s dictator, Senior Gen. Than Shwe and drawing a small moustache on him. The next shot is that of Page holding another sign, saying Hitler is alive in Burma. Some might frown at the apparent Godwin invocation but the actions of the military regime described below makes the comparison seem apt. The repressive tactics of the regime were quite evident in the brutal subjugation of monks last year. The Free Burma campaign didn’t take off as expected and the ground realities in the country still remain the same.
After the recent cyclone devastation, the military regime in Burma, or as they call it Myanmar has stooped to new lows. Yesterday CNN showed a clandestine report showing widespread devastation in the country. The reporter secretly shot and reported the tragedy since the military regime has barred any foreign correspondents and relief aid. The report showed rescue workers dumping dead bodies into the river and reported that the national poll aimed at strengthening the regime further had not been postponed in light of the tragedy. In fact, the resources for relief operations were diverted to the polls and hungry survivors were kicked out of shelters so that they could be used for poll operations. The national TV on Burma was showing cheerful songs extolling virtues of the new regime and thus blanketing any news of the disaster. The toll of the cyclone largely due to the ineptitude of the government is likely to reach 500,000, surpassing that of the tsunami death toll [via].
The Fanista campaign is putting a face to the evil in Burma. Simply calling the military regime (junta) evil doesn’t suffice and it makes for a stronger argument if you draw attention to a particular figure within the junta as a face representing all evil. There have been figures, like Idi Amin, Kim Jong-il, Franco, Mussolini, and of course, Hitler in history who epitomize evil far better than a faceless regime. Hopefully, implementing this strategy in case of Burma will help focus more attention on the country. After the cyclone devastation and refusal of relief aid, there have been murmurs of invading the country on humanitarian ground which would have been unthinkable few weeks ago.
by Patrix | on Monday, May 12th, 2008 at 9:00 am | 
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May 12th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Burma doesn’t have oil do they? Bad Luck. The could have been liberated otherwise.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Supremus, No oil. And no foreign tourists on segregated beaches either.