By Salai Thang
Staff Correspondence of Global Digest
June 3, 2011

Members of Myanmar ethnic nationalities participates an international cultural festival held in Kristiansand, Southern Norway on May 28, 2011.

The purpose of that event is to adjust and better integration process for immigrants here in Norway as well as local societies to understand more about immigrants.
The festival includes three different parts such as, parade in the city, cultural dance exhibition and international foods exhibition. According to the record, there were around 60 different organizations from various countries’ nationalities to take part in the festival.

The Myanmar ethnics group represents under the banner name of “Peace for Burma”, organized by Europe based an ethnic leader Salai Jonathan Thang (the founder of Matu Burma Foundation). There were around 24 different Myanmar ethnics taking part and represented for Myanmar. They include Arakan, Mon, Shan, Bamar, Kachin and Chin (Matupi, Falam, Hakah, Mindat, Zo, Tedim, Siyin) ethnics nationalities.

Due to the country crisis, Myanmar ethnics people have to seek a better and safer life in Norway and around the world as refugees. It’s unlikely to change the country as expected, although the military junta recently transferred power to quasi-military and flaw elected their own military people by just stripping off their military uniforms.

The festival program proceeds as preview although the rain was forced some of nationals to withdraw from the parade and traditional dances due to unable to risk of damaging their traditional tools and clothes. Chin ethnic sport dance is one of the popular shows in the festival. The participants hope to see the festival again next year.
 

(English Version Speech)

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to thanks heavenly God and the group who are organizing this event to take place here.

On behalf of Burmese immigrants here in Norway, I would like to shortly introduce about Burma while we are presenting one of ethnics dance from Burma.

Actually, Burma is a country with a combination of over 137 different ethnics group.  Those ethnics group do not understand each other language nor even closer as between Norsk to Dansk or between Norsk to Swedish.

So, you could imagine how it will be looks while various cultures and different people are mixing in a country like Burma.  Usually, man will expect lot of conflict and violence there.  Anyhow history has proved that the Burma was a peaceful and prospers land once upon time.

As you witness now in these days, the country called Burma is full of violence, crimes, and poverty.  Especially, minorities’ ethnics group has been targeted as victims.  The main responsible one is the military regime itself.

Today, Burmese immigrants are proudly stood in front of you to exhibit our own culture and traditional dresses though military regime in Burma is systematically degrade the value of ethnics’ identities and directly or indirectly trying to destroy it.

Therefore, we are very thankful to the Norwegian government, Norwegian societies for let us grown among you and to be integrating among you while we are here.

I am pretty sure that this kind of exchanging our traditional and cultures would be help us to understand each other more and help to solve some obstacles among us.

Right now, as you can see standing behind us some of ethnics’ representatives from Burma.  The first group is;-

1. Burman ethnic
2. Zo
   1. Tedim
   2. Siyin
   3. Zo
3. Mindat
4. Shan
5. Kayin
6. Matupi
7. Falam
8. Hakha
9. Mon

10. Rakhine

11. Lautu

12. Csing

13. Amsol

14. Zahau

* Vistit @ www.gbdigest.com  (http://www.gbdigest.com/2010/12/europe.html)

(Norwegian Version Speech)

God ettermiddag mine damer og herrer,

Først av alt vil jeg gjerne takke vår himmelske Gud og den gruppen som står ansvarlig for dette arrangementet.

På vegne av burmesiske innvandrere her i Norge, vil jeg gjerne presentere Burma, samtidig som det fremføres en etnisk dans fra Burma.

Burma et land med en kombinasjon av over 137 forskjellige etniske grupper. De etniske gruppene forstår ikke hverandres språk, slik som for eksempel nordmenn forstår de ulike norske dialektene og danskene og svenskene.

Dermed kan du kanskje forestille deg hvordan det er i et land som Burma med alle de ulike kulturene og forskjellige folkene. Vanligvis ville man derfor forvente mye konflikt og vold i landet, men historien har vist at Burma var et fredelig og godt land en gang.
Som vi er vitne til i disse dager er landet Burma fullt av vold, kriminalitet og fattigdom. Spesielt har minoritetenes etniske gruppen vært målrettet som ofre. Hovedansvarlige alene er det militære regimet.

I dag, er burmesiske innvandrere stolte av å stå foran dere for å stille ut vår egen kultur og tradisjonelle kjoler til tross for at det militære regimet i Burma direkte eller indirekte systematisk forsøker å viske ut de etniske identitetene og ødelegge dem.

Derfor er vi veldig takknemlige for den norske regjeringen og det norske samfunnet som lar oss være oss selv blant dere, samt å la oss bli integrert i samfunnet.
 
Jeg er ganske sikker på at denne type utveksling av våre tradisjoner og kulturer vil være til hjelp for å forstå hverandre mer, og løse noen hindringer iblant oss.

Akkurat nå, som du kan se, står noen av de etniske representantene fra Burma bak oss. Den første gruppen er; –

1: Burman ethnic

2: Zo

1. Tedim
2. Siyin
3. Zo

3: Mindat

4: Shan

5: Kayin

6: Matupi

7: Falam

a. Zahau

8: Hakha

9: Mon

10: Rakhine

Filed under: 2 Burma News |