Under Burmese naming conventions, all parts of a name are considered part of a single personal name alone. The Western concept of having a ‘first name’ and ‘family name’ is not followed by Bamar, Karen, Karenni or Chin ethnic groups. Most of the population do not have a surname or follow a cultural custom of inheriting names. Burmese personal names are generally one to four words long. Burmese women generally do not change their name at marriage. Learn more about Burmese naming convention.
Aung San Suu KyiAung San Suu Kyi, also called Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, (born June 19, 1945, Rangoon, Burma [now Yangon, Myanmar]), politician and opposition leader of Myanmar, and winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1991. She held multiple governmental posts from 2016, including that of state counselor, which essentially made her the de facto leader of the country. She was sidelined in February 2021 when the military seized power. Aung San Suu has written many published books. During her political career, she lived under house arrest for 15 years, on and off, during a 21-year period. Read her Britannica biography entry.
Ma ThidaMa Thida is a Burmese human rights activist, surgeon, writer, and former prisoner of conscience. In October of 1994, she was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison for her writing which critisized Burma's military leaders. Read a speech she gave about the power of writing.
Kyi Aye(1929- 2016) Writer known for her aavnt garde stream-of-consciousness style of writing. She is considered Burma's most influential modern writers, although not well known outside of the country. Kyiu Aye was a medical student before she began writing seriously, she both finished her medical degree and wrote prolifically while teaching.
Ju, or Dr Tin Tin Win, has been a best-selling author for almost three decades. She writes novels as well as articles about environmental conservation, peace and human rights. Read her interview with the British Council.
Po Po, born Hla Oo, is an artist from Pathein. His work focuses on installation and performance art, and is among the few artist in Burma to practice these styles. Po Po is self taught and his art has been exhibited around Asia and Europe. Enjoy examples of his art installations.
(1918-1969) was a performer of traditional Burmese dance/drama. He founded an influential dance troupe that helped keep traditional dance alive in Burma. Watch an example of traditional Burmese dance.
