Given Names
The border between Thailand and Burma is just a few miles from this cafe table in Mae Sot, Thailand. Part of today’s discussion around that table was the explosive power of WORDS and NAMES.
The folks in the photo are struggling with what to call the various ethnic groups along the border in Burma. These groups are entrenched in a generations-long and bitter — often deadly — conflict with Burma’s current regime.
Both sides in the conflict are armed. Both sides claim official and ancestral ownership of the land.
According to Burma’s government, these minority groups are “rebels” and “non-state actors.”
Others say they are “armed ethnic governments.” Yet, does that name take sides in the conflict, supporting their effort for self-governance outside of Burma’s governmental authority?
Some of the folks in the photo above gather stories first-hand of injustice inflicted on the ethnic groups — of families fleeing their homes, of villages burned, of civilians killed. They might identify the ethnic groups, then, in a particular way.
The international community, however, chooses different language — perhaps in an effort to deepen ties with an evolving Burma that may (or may not) be edging towards more freedom for all peoples within its current borders.
So which names are fair? Which names are Right, regardless of point of view? Who decides which names to use?
And what’s for us to do not so far from that cafe table where violence rages and peace is fleeting?
Hey Wildmans! If you happen to run into an American named Andrea in that area, that’s Kristen’s sister. She works and teaches at a refugee camp near there. Now THAT would be a small world!
Miss you and love keeping up with all of your travels with your posts – I have several friends who have started following you guys, too, after I read them some of your adventures and incredibly thoughtful words. Be safe and have fun!
The Carmodys