But in my dreams
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Dates2022 - Ongoing
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Author
- Locations Saint Paul, Stillwater, Forest Lake, Minneapolis, Chisago City
“I have comfortable life here but I do miss home and I went back to Myanmar many many times...” Aung Chaimt paused, “...But in my dreams”, then he laughed. Aung Chaimt left Myanmar in 1990 for political reasons after 1988 uprising.
Decades of turmoil in Myanmar—resulting from civil war and the ongoing military oppression—have led to the massive displacement of people from the motherland. Over 200,000 people in the Myanmar diaspora have resettled in the US, forming communities that are diverse ethnically and religiously, characteristic of the Myanmar mosaic of people.
Since the coup in February 2021, tensions in the homeland have intensified under a retrograde military dictatorship, leading to sustained trauma and political violence that, even at a distance, affects the Myanmar diaspora community. These stresses are added to the many struggles they face in their new home, such as racial discrimination—including the rise of violence against Asians in the US—language barriers, loss of a sense of belonging, and poor access to health care. All this hardly allows them the physical and mental space to heal from their trauma.
Low-paying jobs and issues with health insurance and visa status create barriers to meaningful mental health support in the US. Furthermore, education about mental health is nonexistent in Myanmar, making it a taboo topic even today. Nevertheless, there have always been alternative mechanisms to stabilize mental health, especially ongoing cultural practices among the diaspora that involve communal activities and food traditions.
This project aims to explore how cultural practices within the diverse Myanmar ethnic communities in the US help enact alternative mental health care, reflecting the lived experience of how border regimes affect access and subsequent formations of identities among the Myanmar diaspora.
I am using collaborative photography approach and active listening within the diaspora community in Minnesota, which is home to the biggest Burmese population in the US. As a Burmese artist who fled Myanmar after the 2021 coup and arrived in the US recently myself, working with diverse ethnic groups from the diaspora has helped me rebuild my sense of belonging and practice self-care. At the same time, this work lets me unlearn some of the false history I was taught, as I come to better understand the systematic Burmanization of ethnic minorities perpetrated by my Burmese ancestors.
The ultimate goal of this project is the creation of a dual book that incorporates photo narrative with ethnic food recipes. This book would celebrate resilience among the diverse ethnic immigrants from Myanmar and highlight how cultural practices within the diaspora alleviate mental health care issues created by the border regime. Given the many obstacles they face, cultural practices and alternative methods of coping with trauma and mental health issues have the potential to best serve the diaspora in their day-to-day life, and I trust this visual storytelling project can catalyze conversations about health equity in the US.