Zarganar
Learn more about Burma’s other imprisoned heroes.
Zarganar is one of Burma’s best known comedians, if not the most popular. During his years as a college student, he and groups of students created a drama group and performed in front of student audiences which later led his troupe to perform on television. After receiving a degree in dental surgery from Yangon University of Dental Medicine in 1985, he began performing full-time and rapidly became a household name. His plays often pointed out the inadequacies of the government, especially in the well-liked play “Beggar” where he mocked Ne Win. Remarkably, he stayed out of trouble until 1988, when he participated in the 88 Uprising.
From 1988 to 1994, he was in and out of prison for his political involvement in the 88 uprising and since then has not been allowed to perform onstage though he was given permission to do production work. In 1997, however, for his movie “Lun” in which he further satirized the government, he was immediately banned to do any production until 2000. Then, when he decided to give an interview to the BBC, he was banned forever from the business.
He continued staying active in the Burmese democracy movement. In the days leading up to the Saffron Revolution, he had delivered food and water to the Buddhist monks preparing to protest and elicited public support for the monks from outside Burma. When Cyclone Nargis devastated Burma, he got together a team of around 400 people to assist the victims, with a large part being fellow entertainers. He and his team created videos and gave interviews to foreign media about the situation. Often, the regime had tried to stop him and the aid process. For his necessary efforts to save the lives of thousands affected by the cyclone, he was arrested in his home for violating an Electronics Law. He was given the severe sentence of 45 years in prison, where he reportedly still cracks jokes.
In 1991, Zarganar has been awarded the Lillian Helman and Dashiel Hammett Award given by the Fund for Free Expression. He is also the honorary member and awardee of the One Humanity Award by PEN Canada. His bravery has also been covered in the BBC: Laughter Defying Burma’s Junta and Burma Comic Jailed for 45 Years.
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