What does the popcorn blockbuster movie series “Fast & Furious” have in common with the Delegation of the European Union to Myanmar? Nothing, one would think. On the evening of Feb. 20 we learned that there is a connection after all. At a location in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, roughly 300 EU diplomats and other Myanmar watchers huddled together for the event “A Sound for Myanmar”.
What sound could that be, you ask?
Well, according to a flyer that was handed out, the EU stands with Myanmar, and the best way to end the suffering of the Myanmar people at the hands of the junta of Min Aung Hlaing and his shady bunch, apparently, is to ask Spanish composer Lucas Vidal—known for his score for the critically acclaimed masterpiece Fast & Furious 6—to compose a song for Myanmar and to commission filmmaker Curro Sánchez to create some images to go with it.
Did these men travel to conflict areas like Rakhine State and Karenni State to document the stories of Myanmar youth, who left their lives behind to try to depose the military regime? Did they visit IDP camps and talk to the families that have been displaced by the fighting and that are languishing under difficult circumstances, far away from home? Or perhaps—if that proved too risky or difficult a task—they asked Yangonites what it is like to live under a repressive regime they don’t want, while inflation soars and electricity is only available in short bursts?
No, they didn’t. Both men, having never visited Myanmar before and blissfully unaware of the political, military and economic dimensions of the conflict, limited their research to food, drink and culture, impressed as they both were by how friendly the Burmese are, and how overwhelming the smells and the colors. They were like package tourists, snapping Polaroids.
Back in Brussels, EU Ambassador Ranieri Sabatucci took to the stage to talk with Vidal and Sanchez about their project. The trio had a jolly good time, laughing away in a distasteful manner. We learned that they had good flights and that Myanmar had been inspirational, and that they couldn’t care less about what’s happening in the country. The last bit they didn’t say out loud, but it was all too obvious. The filmmaker and the composer are hired guns, so their callousness was to be expected. But Sabatucci must be familiar with the depth of the misery in the country he is stationed in. At the very least he’s tone deaf and in dire need of proper advice.
After the campfire chat of this questionable ensemble of white men, the program improved slightly. Several Myanmar musicians talked about Myanmar music culture and about the instruments they were playing. I won’t mention their names, to spare them any trouble. Several of them had fled the country and were asked whether they missed Myanmar. They did of course, and the diplomats sighed “Oooh” with faux empathy. One could not escape the impression that the Myanmar musicians were trotted out as colorful entertainment for the diplomatic community to gape at.
The program ended with the bland “song” that Vidal composed, a sort of “elderly Hans Zimmer after a heavy meal” pastiche, with the emotional punch of a bag of crisps accidentally left in a puddle. On top of that, the Myanmar lyrics bore all the hallmarks of having gone through a committee of censors. With its generic vanilla flavour, the text was reminiscent of the lyrics of songs composed for the Olympic Games or the World Cup. Songs you don’t remember, because they are made of the blandest pudding imaginable. According to the EU, “the lyrics, written and sung in Myanmar language, convey the message ‘Let’s create a peaceful world through singing, dancing, and playing music together!’”
To get people like Vidal, with his Hollywood resume, and Sanchez to travel to Myanmar and to unleash their questionable creative powers, the EU had to pay top dollar. Flying Ranieri, the Yangon-based EUD staff, and the event organizers to Brussels must have required a boatload of money as well. And then there was the orchestra in Prague that Vidal recorded his little symphony with. Understandably, these classical musicians needed to be compensated for their efforts. Yet more euros were burned on location hire, service staff, champagne and snacks, printing and promotion.
The extravaganza must have cost over a hundred thousand euros.
Obviously, there is nothing wrong with celebrating Myanmar’s music culture. But not in a Walt Disney theme park format, please, with bombastic video and sound, and middle-aged European men running the roost. Over the last four years we have heard very little about what it is that the Delegation of the European Union in Myanmar has been doing to support the Myanmar people. How do they justify their presence in a context where every photo op with junta officials (yes, UN, we’re looking at you) is exploited by the State Administration Council junta, both domestically and regionally, to legitimize their illegal rule?
Is this really the kind of event that the EUD wants to splurge its budget on? How about if the EUD in Myanmar tried to exhibit just a fraction of the courage that thousands of young and old Burmese are showing by defying the junta?
Why not support the independent media? Scores of journalists had to flee, while others are still working underground in Myanmar. The funding cuts at USAID have left many of them in limbo. Or how about supporting the opposition or funding humanitarian work to lighten the suffering of millions who have been hit by the fallout from the coup? Anything would have been better than handing the EU purse to Vidal and for the EUD to go on a paid holiday to lovely Brussels, known for its beers and chocolate waffles.
If the EU truly stands with the people of Myanmar, it must show courage and pick a side—not through frivolous spectacle, but by funding meaningful change.
Editor’s note: The EU has supported Myanmar’s independent media, including The Irrawaddy, enabling them to establish their operations in exile to sustain their important work covering Myanmar since the 2021 military coup in the country. Furthermore, it has channeled more than 390 million euros for Myanmar in humanitarian and cooperation fields by working together with its partners, reaching millions of people since the takeover.
Htet Shein is a humanitarian worker based in Myanmar.
