The Issue...

I drew this diagram really quick to explain my thought process and the history of Burma to my mentor. Here is the brief explanation of the illustration above.
Quick Note : Blue represents peace.
Black frequency represents anger, stress, and fear.

Burma, just like any other South East Asian country, is known for ethnic diversity. Burma started when different ethnic groups moved to the southeast to establish their own empires. Everything shattered when the British people came in and conquered Burma. Because of the ongoing wars at that time, the people of Burma were both physically and psychologically hurt.

Stress, anger and fear caused by the outsiders have been tied to the innocent people of our country ever since. The British did not only take away the land, they separated and drew a line between the low landers and high landers. It was done to make sure that they could rule the country as long as possible. Ever since that time, there have always been misunderstandings and confusions between the ethnic groups.

In 1948, when we gained independence, our hopes were once again revived, but it didn’t last long. The Burmese military junta did not treat the ethnic groups fairly and equally. It was all about selfishness and egoism back then. Many innocent people died because of the civil wars between the military junta and the ethnic groups.

Currently, Burma is at the blink of transformation, but regardless of the drastic changes occurring in Burma, many ethnic groups are still fighting to get their land back. One of the reasons they are still attempting to fight is because they still haven’t forgiven the mistakes that the Burmese government made yet. There is still anger, and beyond their angers are the painful memories of the past.

This is where Architecture comes in! What can we, as architects, do to bring the ethnic groups together? The architecture I create, must not only heal the psychological pains of all people of Burma, but also bond them to create a better future of all people.