(This study guide complements one-third of the Musicians in the War Zone program, which is 1 hour long and is only available in the full 1 hour format)
Produced: 2001

War Child Canada and MuchMusic created a program about human rights and war-affected children that would engage a youth audience and inspire them to action. 'Musicians in the War Zone', is an hour long human rights special communicating the ravaging effects of war on youth globally, and exploring human rights issues through the eyes of youth and Canadian artists: The Rascalz in Sierra Leone, David Usher (Moist) at the Thai-Burmese border and Chantal Kreviazuk & Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace) in Iraq.  This documentary aims to tell the story of the impact of war on young people, to inspire global action and help to  make change in support of war affected children.

While in the field, the musicians acted as journalists and narrators,
connecting the television viewing audience with war-affected youth through  their questions, their concerns and their detailed exploration of the impact of war on the lives of young people, who were often very candid about their experiences. The combination of award winning, platinum recording artists and riveting footage from the field are guaranteed to be an effective teaching tool to captivate the youth/young adult audience and help inspire them to get involved. For more information, and to get your class or school involved in War Child Canada's youth programs, please visit, www.warchild.ca or contact War Child Canada at (416)971-7474.

STUDY GUIDE FOR BURMA

This video is part of a series developed by War Child Canada and MuchMusic called “Musicians in the War Zone.” 

The following questions and activities are based on the order in which information is presented in the video.  The activities included here cover three different types of questions and assignments: basic review questions on information that is presented in the video; questions which deal with issues or events requiring further research; and assignments which require personal reflection on the issues being explored.  You may wish to view the video, or sections of it, more than once. 
 
The activities included here are only suggestions.  You may wish to adapt these for the students in your class.  Some of the questions might be best addressed in small group discussions or in a form of classroom debate; you may wish to extend others to include  specific actions or participation in a campaign.  Obviously, it is important to use those activities that best suit the students and the curriculum. 

Several scenes and interviews in the video contain images and information that may be disturbing for students. After viewing the video, it is recommended that students spend time on the first question, giving them the opportunity to record their immediate, personal responses to what they have seen and heard.  A discussion should follow this writing time, allowing students to express their emotional responses to the video before they continue with any other questions. 

1. Record your immediate responses to this video.  How do you feel after watching this video?  Why do you feel this way?  What scenes and images stand out after watching it?  Why are these scenes and images powerful for you?

2. At the beginning of this video, we are given an overview of the political situation in Burma.   A brutal military dictatorship has been in power in Burma for several decades.  This dictatorship, under the direction of Ne Win, set a once thriving nation on a path to
destruction and despair.  
a) Define the term ‘military dictatorship’.  How does this kind of government operate?
b) What atrocities did the military dictatorship commit against the people of Burma?
c) What have the people of Burma—including the Karen—been forced to do as a result?

3. In the summer of 1988, military dictator Ne Win suddenly announced that he was  preparing to leave office.  Sensing an historic opportunity, on August 8, 1988, millions of people throughout Burma joined the pro-democracy demonstrations. John Pilger, writing for the New Internationalist (June, 1996) states: “But unlike China’s democracy movement in Tiananmen square the following year, there were no TV cameras linked to satellite dishes when Ne Win kept his promise to ‘shoot to kill those who stand against us.’ ”
a) Research the media coverage of the demonstrations of August 8, 1988, by consulting the relevant websites, periodicals and CD Roms.  What information did Western nations receive about this historical event?
b)  Investigate the coverage that we received of the demonstration in Tiananmen square one year later.  How does this coverage compare to the coverage given to the demonstrations in Burma?  What reasons can you offer for the coverage that both events received?  What effect do you think this coverage had on Western perceptions of the situation in both of these countries? 
c)  According to the video, how did the military dictatorship respond to the demonstrations in Burma? 
d)  Investigate the current status of the Student democracy movement.  Has it survived the oppression of the military dictatorship?  Consult websites such as Human Rights Watch and New Internationalist for current information.

4. After the demonstrations in 1988, control of the country was seized by the army, and then handed to a 19 member State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC).  In 1989, Aung San Suu Kyi,  the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD),  was placed under ‘house arrest’ for six years.  (The SLORC believed this would prevent her party from being victorious in an upcoming election.)   Looking to legitimize their dictatorship, and with Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest, the SLORC called an election in 1990.  The National League for Democracy received a landslide victory.
a) How did the SLORC respond to the victory of the NLD?
b) What is the current status of the NLD?  Who remains in a position of power in Burma?  
c) Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested again in September 2000 and is being held under “unofficial” house arrest.  What does it mean to be held under “unofficial” house arrest?  Consult websites such as Amnesty International and New Internationalist for information on Aung San Suu Kyi’s current situation.   

5. We learn from the video that there are 1 million refugees living in Thailand at camps set up along the Thai-Burma border.  David Usher, a member of the band Moist, takes us to the refugee camp called Umpee-um Mai where 15,000 people are currently living. 
a) Where did the most of the people living in this camp come from?  Why did they have to move here?
b) What impression do you receive of life in the refugee camp?
c) How have the people at the camp been able to survive?  (How are they supported?)
d)  How many people are forced to seek refuge in the camps in Thailand every day?
d)   According to Christine, the NGO health worker interviewed at the camp, what kind of future do these people have? 

6. The songs “ Breath” and “Forest Fire” by Moist provide the soundtrack for this video.  Examine the lyrics to these songs.  How do they comment on the places David visits and the situation of the Burmese people? 

7.  This video is based on the conventions of documentary filmmaking.  How does this kind of filmmaking convey a sense of reality?  (Consider the use of on-camera testimonial footage, unscripted dialogue, use of real people, etc.)

8.  At several times in the video, there is a juxtaposition of images as the screen is divided into two or more sections.  In other places a single images fades into another.  Select one sequence and examine it closely.  What effect is created through the presentation of the images in this sequence?  How do the images work with the text to convey a message about the situation in Burma?  Are there certain elements that are more powerful for you than others?  Why?  Compare your interpretation of this sequence with that of your peers.

9.  a)  Discuss the power of celebrities in drawing our attention to global issues and human rights.  Identify other examples in the media where celebrities have been used to highlight similar issues.  Explain whether or not you think their use is effective and/or appropriate. 
b)  Some people are critical of the use of celebrities, claiming it takes attention away from the issue and the puts the ‘spotlight’ on the celebrity.  How would you assess the role of David Usher in this video?  Who or what is the focus of this video?  Who is telling the story of Burma?   

10.   According to David,  the fact that simple actions can make a difference is important to remember in our world, where what is “fast, hard, loud and the biggest bang you can get is what sells.”
a)  Do you agree with what Usher says “sells”, literally or metaphorically, in our culture?  
Provide examples from the media and popular culture to support your answer.
b) Are there alternative messages and values in our culture that celebrate what is “simple” and what can “make little differences” for others?  Where can these alternative messages be found?  

11.  STUDENTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

David Usher explains that while his visit to the refugee camps only scratches the surface of what has been happening there, one of the main messages he is receiving is that  “there are simple things that we can do and not do in our lives to try and make little differences, and that’s a positive thing in itself.”

Aung San Suu Kyi has asked the international community to carefully consider the actions it takes.  She has asked this community not to do business in Burma, saying that investing in this country will only give the regime political legitimacy, and a reason to state that since they are able to attract so much foreign investment to the country, democracy is not needed.

Student activists from around the world have listened to Aung San Suu Kyi’s request.  Writing in the Globe and Mail (February, 1997), Naomi Klein describes how students at Carelton University in Ottawa started a campaign in 1993 that eventually brought about Pepsi’s “total disengagement” from Burma.  Learning that Pepsi had exclusive vending rights at their university, Carelton students decided to research this company and investigate the reality behind the company’s image and their promise to “bring people and nations closer together towards world peace”.  Their investigation revealed that Pepsi was doing business with the brutal military dictatorship in Burma, and that Burmese students who had fled the country were calling for a boycott of all companies doing business there, including Pepsi. In an example of internet activism, the Carelton students shared their findings with the rest of the world, and soon students groups from all over North America were planning to boycott Pepsi on their campuses.     
Eventually, several prominent American universities became involved, including Harvard and Stanford, and Pepsi began to take notice.  The students pressured their universities to terminate food and beverage contracts with Pepsi, stating that they would not allow Pepsi to do business on their campuses if they were also doing business in Burma.
The controversy eventually made it to the New York Times, and in 1997, Pepsi announced its “total disengagement” from Burma.
a)  Research the current situation regarding foreign investment in Burma.  To what extent have companies heeded Aung San Suu Kyi’s request?   What stand have foreign governments taken in response to the situation in Burma?
b) The Ottawa group that started the campaign to boycott Pepsi was OPIRG-Carelton.  Search the internet to find information about an OPIRG (Ontario Public Interest Research Group) at a university near you.  What is the mandate of this group?  What campaigns is it currently involved in?
c)  Take a stand on the issue of ethical corporate investment.  What would you say to corporations that might be considering doing business in Burma?  What action do you think consumers should take?  Consult the website for War Child Canada and the New Internationalist for information on what we can do to support the people of Burma.       

12.  UNITED NATIONS RECOMMENDATIONS

When asked what people can do, Aung San Suu Kyi has said we should study the UN General Assembly Resolution on Burma and help to implement it.
a)  What are the recommendations of the UN resolution? 
b)  How has the international community responded to these recommendations?
c)  What can we do to support this resolution?  Consult the website for War Child Canada for  information on actions we can take. 

13.  “Democracy, is by definition, freedom with responsibility.”  Aung San Suu Kyi
a)  What would you say are the key factors in ensuring that a democracy works? 
b)  What makes Canada a ‘democracy’, by definition? 

14.  One thing that often strikes visitors to areas like the refugee camps in Burma is the “illogical optimism” of the young people and the children.  Despite the suffering the refugees are faced with each day, they are still a people of hope.  “What exactly do these people have to be hopeful about?” is a question often asked. 
a)  What are the hopes and dreams of the young people who are interviewed at the refugee camp?  What factors seem to contribute to their hope for the future? How does this compare with the hopes and dreams of people your own age, at your school?  What are our hopes and dreams often based on in the ‘developed’ world? 
b)  Missionaries and aid workers have often said that those who struggle for anything ‘better’ in the future can teach us a lot about finding happiness in our own lives.   Do you agree with this statement?  Write a personal reflection in which you explore the lessons that you can take away from this story of the refugees in Burma.

RECOMMENDED INTERNET RESOURCES:
Corporate Watch:  www.corpwatch.org

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR)
www.fair.org

Human Rights Watch
www.hrw.org

Independent Media Centre (Indymedia)
www.indymedia.org

One World:  www.oneworld.org
-this site has links to over 100 partners, such as Amnesty International (www.amnesty.org) and The New Internationalist (www.newint.org)

United Nations
www.un.org

War Child Canada
www.warchild.ca

Written by: Carolyn Wilson
Carolyn Wilson is a teacher, author and President of the Association for Media Literacy in Ontario, Canada. Carolyn teaches Media Literacy and English at St. Michael Secondary School in Stratford, Ontario and is the co-author of the best selling text book, Mass Media and Popular Culture, Version 2.  She recently developed an interdisciplinary global education program that includes a billeting experience in the Dominican Republic and a volunteer placement with a local social service agency.  She has written about and given workshops on such topics as global studies and the media, corporate sponsorship in education, gender representation in the media and communications technology. 

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