Rohingya Life Before the Exodus

Filmmaker YGN201 documented the life of a Rohingya community in Rakhine state in September 2015:

“Because of their belief in Islam, the Rohingya community is currently the most marginalized ethnic group in Myanmar. I took these photos during a trip to show the peaceful lives and traditional customs of a community in their hometown of Buthidaung Township.

The genocidal mass killing against Rohingya people perpetrated by the Burmese army is affecting the whole of Asia. We feel heartbroken by the brutal murdering of thousands of people in the region, as well as their mass exodus to seek refuge in other countries.

It remains a sensitive issue which is being neglected by many artists and activists, especially in Myanmar. We believe in the freedom of expression and in the need of raising the voices of the most vulnerable groups of people, which is the main goal of my artistic actions.”

 

MORE >> Read our feature on “Rohingyatographer“, a magazine published by photographers living in Cox Bazar refugee camp, Bangladesh.