A Joint Effort: Local Initiative, International Support

In January of 2004, a group of 20 Lahu girls and women from <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Burma, China, and Thailand pre-tested an episode of the UNESCO-supported radio soap opera programme.  The participants embraced the project and suggested the inclusion of contemporary songs in order to attract young listeners.  With their recommendations of several popular Lahu singers like Ms. Na haw ti and  Mr. Sheh hpa, UNESCO and the New Life Center Foundation in Chiang Mai decided to fulfill their request.  The joint initiative and effort of the Lahu people in Thailand and Burma has given birth to this musical album—the first of its kind to address the global issues of HIV/AIDS, human trafficking and drug abuse from the perspectives of minorities in its entirety

Na haw ti’s song, Aw to g’a shon k’ai ve (Wasted Body), tells the story of a young tribal girl, whose dream of getting rich and having a comfortable life is shattered when she is lured by traffickers to work in the city as a sex worker. Sheh hpa’s Aw leh meu taw (Last Word) portrays a young man dying of AIDS who begs his girlfriend’s forgiveness for his past mistakes and promiscuous behaviour.

The Office of the Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific has produced and distributed an initial 1,000 copies of the album in Burma, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.  Many CDs have been provided free of charge to villages in Thailand and Burma, as well as to governmental and non-governmental organizations for educational dissemination. The rest are being sold at low cost with proceeds going to support social and health services to Lahu communities in Thailand and Burma.

To purchase a copy, contact us.

Discover the songs