Filmmaker Emily Hong once said that the very act of a woman holding a camera in the streets of Yangon – by nature of its rare and provocative nature – is performance art. When women move and work in ways which counter the expectations of society, they open up new avenues for discussion, community and the transferring of knowledge.





That notion forms the framework for this weekend’s inaugural Ingyin Literary Forum, a four-day event dedicated to Myanmar women writers. Hosted by Yaw Min Gyi’s Ngarse / 50 community centre, the forum blossomed out of a desire to share experiences: Its title is derived from the name of the Bodhi tree’s flowers, which bloomed overhead at the birth of Buddha and have come to represent the sharing of knowledge.

“I think initially we wanted to focus on women writers because there’s not a lot said on female sexuality, not just in Burmese literature, but literature in general,” said Khin CM Maung, an organiser of the event. “There’s an exploration of femininity and sexuality in the west, but it’s not mainstream.”

The forum will include readings, discussions and a writer’s workshop celebrating and exploring topics of female sexuality and censorship in Myanmar and Southeast Asian literature.

Kicking off the first night is the hard copy launch of the Yangon Literary Magazine, another project of Khin CM Maung, Mandy Moe Pwint Tu, and Pre-Collegiate Program senior, Paul Chan. The digital collection of emerging local and diasporic Myanmar writers, poets, and artists will be sold in print on the forum’s first night, revitalising a wilting local magazine culture.

Other features in the line-up include Phyu Mon, often referred to as Myanmar’s first female performance artist; Pyo Let Han, the novelist and editor of feminist magazine Rainfall; Pooja Nansi, a spoken-word poet from Singapore; and poets Myat and Yi Ywel.

These writers will discuss hot topics, including the subject of military censorship and how it affects the nature of publishing. They’ll also exam how women themselves often embody the habit of self-censorship.

“I think a lot of people are scared that we want to give space to women, to women of colour,” said Khin CM Maung, noting the potential for backlash against this event. “...Most women have not been given the space to express themselves, to express sexuality and their self-censorship in writing and art.”





For Pyo Let Han, who in addition to being a writer also works at the Women’s Political Action Group, a women’s writing forum is a first.

“I don’t think there are many feminist spaces or those centreed on women’s experiences in Yangon,” she said, noting past artist groups which included another Ingyin reader, Phyu Mon, performance artist Ma Ei, and photographer May Ko Naing. “But women artists who can participate in such a movement nmostly come from a middle class background. They are becoming an exclusive, particular class.”

That is why organisers say free, carefully-constructed forums like Ingyin – in which most of the discussions and reading are in Myanmar language – are so important.

“I feel this is a wonderful step forward for women writers to explore where they are in the current literary field,” said Pyo Let Han. “I hope this forum can open the eyes of many young people that we need to create something new in terms of literary and intellectual freedom.”

Ingyin Literary Forum starts on December 10 at Ngarse/50 Bo Yar Nyunt Road and runs through December 13. Each event is held in the evening from 7-9pm.