Interviews with Min Yan Naing

After the 2007 Saffron Revolution, we [were] just involved working with the crowds. [The Saffron Revolution was a series of protests against the Burmese military regime in 2007. The protests began when the junta raised fuel prices by two-thirds. The military responded to the nonviolent demonstrations with force.] We [were] just involved. After the crackdown, me and another – I met with my high school friend – three friends. We did not like this ending.

We don’t get anything from government; we just protested only. Most of the people are dying. Most of the people are arrested. That’s finished. We didn’t get any response from government, no decrease of the fuel prices – also, did not get anything. OK, we are not finished. That’s why we would like to make one organization. We started on 9 October 2007. We start to found Generation Wave. Generation Wave, meaning this one generation after another generation will hit to the system. At the time, I’m 27. Some of my friends – also high school friends are same age.

We are involved in 1996 and 1998 student movement – just involved; we’re not leading. We were just involved in the protests like this. In 2007 we met again. We would like to do something and we started this organization. After the organization, we make a campaign – many campaigns – awareness campaigns. Also we started a fuel campaign. This fuel campaign means CNG, compressed natural gas. Governments announced to most of the cars that this CNG compressor – very expensive CNG compressor; it’s 1,000 U.S. dollar. [The military government announced that most private cars would be required to convert to compressed natural gas, and expensive modification for their owners.]

Most of the people cannot afford to change. We also are aware these people need to change – CNG, meaning: Change New Government. Mostly our members are [involved] friend by friend, because at the time this situation [is] so bad. If you are involved in politics and if you are involved in the human rights and democracy, you can be arrested. Most of the people are very afraid. Parents are not allowing. Also friends, they are very afraid.

That’s why we are mostly [people] who [are] interested, and then we contact [them] – if you would like to join, we start – OK, we have a training, human rights, something like that. After that, OK, if you would like to be involved in this movement, you can make a campaign, an activity, anything. Sometime we say, if you have one stick of chalk, you can write on the street or wall, OK, free Aung San Suu Kyi or free Burma. You can be involved like this.

Min Yan Naing is a Burmese civil society activist, youth leader and rapper. He was born and lives in Rangoon. He became active in a series of 1996 and 1998 student protests against the military junta ruling the country.

In 2007, together with several schoolmates, Min Yan Naing founded Generation Wave, an underground civil society group. Generation Wave works to motivate young Burmese to become engaged in politics through music and nonviolent protest actions. Using a variety of musical styles, including rap and hip-hop, Generation Wave recordings and videos encourage youth to take a stand in favor of democracy and human rights. Like many opposition groups, Generation Wave has been unable to register as a non-governmental organization and has faced many obstacles to its activities, which are illegal in the eyes of the military regime. Many of the movement’s activists have faced arrest and detention.

Generation Wave uses a variety of techniques to spread its messages, including loading material onto CDs and flash drives for distribution in public places. The group is also known for adapting tactics used in Serbia in 2000 to oust dictator Slobodan Milosevic, such as using graffiti and distributing leaflets to encourage youth activism.

As the Burmese government has eased some of its repressive tactics, Generation Wave has moved into greater visibility. Many of its detained activists were released by the government in early 2012. Generation Wave was active in the by-election campaign that saw opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi elected to the Burmese parliament.

A number of Generation Wave’s music videos are available on the Internet, including these:

Generation Wave’s Hip Hop song

WHOMADEWHO w/ GENERATION WAVE : “LEFT HAND OF THE BOXER”

Generation Wave Mother 64 Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

TEN by GENERATION WAVE