03.09.2006
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Please Tell Ma Su Su Nway
_ by Thar Chit Swe
_ translated by Tayza Thuria
***(Original Burmese article by Ko Thar Swe was published in BURMA DIGEST 05.03.2006 issue, and now republished as an English Translation in honour of Ma Su Su New getting Humphrey Freedom Award)
“School Fun-fair” was held at SU Su Nway School on 25.2.06 (Saturaday) in Youth Centre, New Lamarkee Quarter, Kuropiro Town, Finland.
Funfair started from 1:00 pm. But I reached there early. There I took a few photos of teachers teaching children.
Ten Burmese children learning & reciting together_ it made me feel pleased.
Children thousands of miles from Burma learning Burmese!
How do you understand the word FUTURE?
I see future as responsibility. Yesterdays ideas combined with today’s practice gives results in future.
To see children’s future through their own paintings, I went into a room. There was some painting by these children, bags/purses made by them, laid out neatly on a table.
Everyone is helping for the Funfair. How encouraging?
“Hey, Mister, excuse me” a voice from behind. It stopped my thoughts. I said silently “OK, I want to help” and I help fixed a machine.
The “peace dove carrying a paddy shoot flying towards Burma” is not just a picture (see the photos) . That’s Future. The Future of the child who drew it. The Future he wanted. He described the future he wanted with his little painting skills.
You can’t blame a child for his lack of language knowledge.
It’s difficult to explain a child’s vision for the future.
But the painting of a swan family will tell you the child’s vision of family value.
Broken families because of Civil wars, forced labour, etc. Children, from parents suffering such ill-fates, drawing pictures of family value and peace-doves!!!
If they are Finnish children (if they were not suffering Burmese children) they will be more interested in drawing Spiderman in stead of peace-doves.
To swallow down my feeling with a cup of hot coffee I went to the counter where coffee is sold at 50 cent a cup. There’s a queue of 4-5 people.
It’s 20 minutes before the starting time, but already about 20 guest have arrived.
In front of flash-lights of camera’s from Finland news agencies & TV channels, children singing poems smiling. I want you to see their smiling faces.
Children asked for recess after poem recitation. This is as a deal_ their teachers do not teach them “Passing through NO”. This place is not Harvard University.
I looked for my friends among guests.
I found my friends, Finland State School teachers, at a table. I sat with them saying “what a nice weather” . minus 3 degree in Finland is a nice weather, it cannot stop people from coming to the funfair.
We had a chat, eating Burmese snacks & drinking coffee.
“How can I help this school” asked people while buying the souvenirs. I introduced them to Ms. Kerttu Lappalainen, Head of School Committee. I wanted to take good photos of the event, so I cannot explain to them myself.
Then I saw Amnesty International group (Finland) entering the hall.
I greeted them in Finnish language and took them to the teaching room, as they previously said wanted to see the teaching in this school_ I told them there’d be a school funfair and so to come to the school funfair day.
Don’t you be surprised that they know Ma Su Su Nway.
They know Burmese people who are fighting for the Truth and fairness.
The more we struggle ourselves, the more the world recognize our efforts, and the more help they give us.
To make Ma Su Su Nway’s name become more recognized, we changed the school’s name to Su Su Nway school. We did it on the day when Su Su Nway finished the first month of her 18 month prison sentence imposed on her by the military government.
Ma Su Su Nway had written her own history and Burmese expatriates in Finland have now put it on record.
PLEASE TELL MA SU SU NWAY THAT “SU SU NWAY SCHOOL” IN FINLAND, THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY FROM BURMA, IS HAILING HER HONESTY AND COURAGE.
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Request: If you can kindly volunteer to translate BURMA DIGEST English articles into Burmese, please let us know burmadigest@tayzathuria.org.uk .
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Last week’s English articles
Burma’s Healthcare Situation: A Dog’s Curly Tail
Memoirs of a Cynical Medic (1)
Changes In Burma Can Arise From No Changes
Displaced People’s Socio-Medical Sufferings