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Myanmar / Burma:
Hip-hop artist released from prison
On 6 January 2009, the Burmese military junta authorities released popular hip-hop singer Yan Yan Chan, who was arrested in April 2008, reported Mizzima News.
The popular singer was released on Tuesday evening by the western district
court in the notorious Insein prison in Rangoon after the judge during the
court session ordered his release, a lawyer close to the singer's family
said.
“The judge ordered his release and so he was freed yesterday evening,” the
lawyer said. The lawyer, however, said he is not aware of the charges against the
singer and the reasons for his release.
“As far as I understand, he [Yan Yan Chan] was charged in a drug related
crime but I am not sure what the charges exactly were. I have not been
able to speak to him yet,” the lawyer, who requested anonymity, told
Mizzima.
When contacted, Yan Yan Chan’s family members confirmed his released but
refused to elaborate.
Popular hip-hop band
Yan Yan Chan co-founded the first Burmese hip-hop band the
'Acid'. He was arrested in early April 2008, while staying at his
friend's residence in Monywa town in upper Burma.
His band-colleague, the musician Zayar Thaw, is still in prison, serving a six years sentence.
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Yan Yan Chan
Myanmar / Burma
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In-depth report on music censorship in Burma
The book 'Shoot the Singer' which was published in 2004 contains a chapter about music censorship Burma, Chapter 6: 'Music under siege'.
Freemuse offers you to read the full chapter by Aung Zaw – 23 pages in pdf-format.
Read the chapter
How censorship is carried out in Burma
Excerpt from 'Risky jokes about Burma's dictators' – by Don North "In Burma, or Myanmar as the generals insist it be called, the government has created artist associations for writers, journalists and any form of entertainer, even athletes. In order to create anything new, permission must be obtained from the government. But before getting approval, the artist’s association memberships are reviewed.
Since 1962, the government’s permission must be obtained to hire a Pwe troupe (troupe of political satirists, musicians, puppeteers and dancers) for holidays, birthdays, weddings and funerals. To gain permission a troupe must pay a fee, and submit a list of all performers. Permission also must be obtained from the police. Military intelligence must approve the content, too.
With such draconian regulations and a consensus of all parties required, permission is reported to be rarely granted. The art, history and culture of Burma have suffered under the blacklist of the Pwe. The unfettered mind is under siege in what is one of the world’s most oppressed nations."
www.consortiumnews.com/2007 |
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| Related reading |
| Myanmar/Burma: Musician Win Maw arrested |
| International PEN calls for immediate release of Burmese musician Win Maw, arrested in November 2007 and is said to be seriously ill as a result of torture in detention. |
| 15 May 2008 |
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| Myanmar/Burma: Flow of secret music files |
| Exiled Burmese musicians develop alternative communication channels, and their music is being smuggled across borders and distributed secretly within Burma via the internet |
| 27 September 2007 |
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| Myanmar/Burma: Music under siege |
| Music provides a rallying point for the masses during political upheavals in Burma. An excerpt from the book 'Shoot the Singer': Chapter 6 |
| 28 October 2005 |
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| Myanmar/Burma: Conscripted for Karaoke |
| Promoting the Burmese governments National Convention, three famous singers are singing a jingle on tv — but news indicate that they were conscripted into singing and possibly blackmailed by authorities |
| 14 June 2004 |
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| Shoot the Singer! Book |
| "Shoot the Singer! Music Censorship Today". The first worldwide presentation of contemporary cases of music censorship, with cases from i.a. Burma, Mexico, Middle East, France, Algeria, Zimbabwe, USA, South Africa, Turkey. Edited by Freemuse director Marie Korpe, published by Zed Books, May 2004. |
| 25 May 2004 |
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