Faces of CulturalFest: Let's Meet the Myanmar Booth Captain
As the FIUTS CulturalFest gets closer, let’s take a moment to read about some of our wonderful Booth Captains and learn why they want to be part of this incredible event. We had a lovely interview with our Myanmar Booth Captain and this is what she had to say..
What is your name?
Pearl Lwin
What country are you representing?
Myanmar/Burma
Tell us a bit about yourself..
I am the secretary of BMSA (Burmese Myanmar Student Association) as a freshman at the University of Washington, ideally looking to major in Visual Communications. I was born and raised in America so I have never had the opportunity to go to Myanmar, but I have done some volunteer work in Chiang Mai and Mae Sot with Earth Mission Asia.
What inspired you to participate in CulturalFest this year?
BMSA wanted the opportunity to share our culture to others and spread awareness on the current political conflicts plaguing Burma as well as provide insight and resources to help Myanmar on the recent 7.7 scale earthquake that occurred there recently.
What does it mean to be a Booth Captain?
I enjoy high barrier challenges/projects. I tend to fall into leadership positions often and learned that there is still much to discover even in that position. Team building, communication, and understanding is what I like to prioritize and I want more of our club members to participate in events regarding spreading our culture.
Can you describe the cultural aspects you are showcasing and why they are important to you?
One important part of our showcase is a political timeline of the conflicts in Myanmar. Not many people know of our country and we want to do our best to bring awareness to us as people, as a culture, and educate others on the issues our people have faced for decades. Some of us are Burmese American, which puts us in an incredibly fortunate position to have our basic needs to survive. It is our choice to take a stand and make an effort to represent our people, as any form of protest from native Burmese can put them in danger to be either jailed or killed.
In what ways do you believe events like CulturalFest contribute to fostering cultural understanding within the community?
I believe CultureFest gives opportunity to people of all cultures and ethnicities to share who we are and what defines a big part of our personal identity. Being able to share it in an event of this scope is an incredible benefit for Burma, as we are a more obscure Asian country. It also sheds light on what issues are occuring in our country, how international students are affected, how social media access is taken for granted, how ethnic groups are treated by the military, etc. The people of Burma have incredible potential, values, and culture to share. We are often restricted from being able to share any of it at all. If those on the outside are aware of what goes on inside, that's one step closer towards liberation.
Date: Saturday, April 19
Time: Expo starts 4:00 pm, performances start at 7:00 pm
Location: Benaroya Hall